The Anomaly
by JimMoriartyH1
Summary: Alanna isn't one to listen to superstitious warnings; so it is unequivocally her fault that she fell into the bowels of Mt. Ebbot. Will she be able to untangle the complicated mess that Frisk, who is not exactly what they seem, has left behind to give the Underground the ending it deserves. photo by undertalethingems. Sans/OC. OC/OC. Slowburn. Post/Geno. Interfusiontale.
1. Luck of the Fall

_**Luck of the Fall**_

New towns were always a strange mixture of exciting and sad to Alanna. She had seen her fair share as a child when her parents would drag her from town to town. Self-proclaimed 'drifters' Marie and Michael Harris never quite settled down. Even now they were drifting somewhere in the South sending their only daughter postcards from various places.

Alanna was very much _not_ a drifter. Leaving her new friends just after there was some sort of connection formed always sat ill on Alanna. Not that she would mention that to her parents, who viewed each move as a new adventure. When Alanna settled on a single college her parents actually stayed for a few years, wanting to give her a support system during the difficult time in her life. After Alanna landed a job in the campus radio-station and grabbed her own apartment her parents drifted off again.

Graduation made Alanna cry. After four years of being in a single place with the same group of friends she was being thrown into the real world. Thankfully after multiple Skype interviews and one in person interview Alanna had gotten a job at a little radio station in a little town that sat in the shadow of a rather large looking mountain. She had just enough money to afford her apartment, bills, and a meager amount of food.

Her apartment felt overly spacious almost lonely at times, but being surrounded by trees was pretty nice. The mountain gave the town a protected feel, though the locals were very wary of it. She had learned from a few different sources that the mountain was supposed to house the entrance to the Land of the Monsters. The local legends stated that there was a Great War a long time ago in which the humans won, and the Monsters, who took on various shapes and sizes, fled under the Mountain.

After a year of being in her new town she decided to hike the mountain, brushing away any passing concern from her co-workers or neighbors. She supposed her ignoring them was what left her in this particular situation.

"H-help." Alanna's voice echoed around the small chamber, but nobody came. Her leg was nothing but pain, and she was sure that she had skinned her hands and side from her attempt to stop the fall. The hole above her let in muted light which cast the small cavern she had landed in. Vines surrounded the hole and seemed to crawl down the darkened walls.

Alanna herself had landed in a rather cushy bed of golden flowers the likes of which she hadn't really seen before. "Please," she called a bit louder panic beginning to build, "please someone help!" Once again there was no reply. Alanna attempted to get up, but putting weight on her leg made it buckle underneath her.

"Well…." Alanna said breathing out in a woosh, "crap. Okay, keep it together….not that talking to myself is really considered keeping it together." She paused taking a small breath. "At least in proper society." Another heave and another fall. "All right, if I can't walk….I need to crawl."

Alanna attempted crawling, and though the dragging motion of her injured leg hurt, she was mobile. It was dark-ish in the cavern, but she slid herself along against a wall until she found a rather uniform feeling opening. "Can't stop now," Alanna scolded herself when she sat for a moment feeling the strange smoothness of the wall, "I've barely gotten anywhere. The exit is only just ahead." She lied to herself. "Just gotta keep going."

The next room was empty but a hole, smaller than the one she had fallen through, let in a single beam of light that illuminated a single patch of emerald grass. Alanna scraped along the floor until she hit the patch of grass.

"Yeah, okay….still light…..that's good." She spoke her own voice echoing back to her sounding more and more hopeless. "It really hurts." She admitted to the open space. It remained silent, offering no advice for her plight. Straightening her leg almost caused her to pass out. It was swollen, straining at the fabric of her jeans. "Shit," she mumbled feeling a numb sense of horror steal over her.

She had been this hurt before, but never alone. And certainly never stuck in the bottom of a cave system on a mountain that no one visited for fear of the 'monsters' that lurked underneath. Perhaps this cave _was_ the monster. Swallowing people whole and keeping them until they starved. There were no bones that she could see, but the fact that the edges of the room were cast in shadow didn't help Alanna's already panicked mind.

"Oh no," she said feeling the familiar burning behind her eyes that signaled she was about to cry, "that's not good. No, I can't cry right now." Alanna quickly began to scrape along the floor until she came to a wall. She moved as quickly as her body would allow. She would almost say she was trying to outrun the hopelessness of the situation. "Nope." She said pushing the tears back as her hands skimmed along the wall as she crawled.

When she came across another uniform opening she watched as the first tears filled her eyes and made the darkness shift and blur before her eyes. "Okay, I can cry." She hiccupped her hand going to lightly touch her leg. "But I can't stop moving forwards." Tears began to fall, but she ignored them and forced herself to slide along the floor until she came out into a new room. It was rather brightly lit and the color of the stone threw her off. Different shades of purple shifting and fading into itself. The walls almost looked like they were made of purple bricks, and across the room from her was a grand looking staircase. Vivid red leaves were piled in-between the flights of stairs and a few were scattered in a square shape in the middle of the room. It looked as if someone had tended them lovingly until they took shape.

Maybe someone was down here. Or maybe nature is cruel and wanted to instill a small bit of hope in Alanna before it crushed her totally and completely. The way her day was going, Alanna expected it to be the second option.

"Weird," she sniffed hardly aware of the fact that she was still sluggishly crying, "why are there steps in a cave? Maybe they're ancient." She muttered dragging herself towards the base of the stairs. Her body was already getting sore. Purple dirt had caked itself along her jeans and on her hands. So much of it had pushed its way underneath her nails Alanna was sure that she would never be able to get all of it out.

Her hands were now a strange mix of purple dirt and blood which had mixed into a maroon that was constantly stinging. She had made it to the large pile of leaves that had bunched up in-between the flights of stairs. The slight crunch of the leaves underneath her stinging palms brought a strange surge of determination through the woman. There was a strange moment where she swore she saw floating words.

 **File Saved.** __Along with a small two note run.

Alanna shook her head and the words were gone as if they had never been there in the first place. "I must be hurt a lot more than I first thought." Alanna said quietly to herself. "Floating words don't just appear. Maybe I should rest?" Her body was horribly aching at this point, the strain of the day finally getting to her. She had hiked up the mountain for hours before she had fallen underneath the mountain. The air here was much cooler than that of the above world, and Alanna was beginning to feel the chill of it seeping into her bones. She pulled herself a bit further into the leaves making a small nest around her. She began to check herself over a bit more with the better source of light, though she had no idea where it was coming from.

There were more cuts than she had first thought. They covered her under-arms in long ragged swipes that spoke volumes about her struggle to stay out of the hole. Her pale skin made the cuts look horrible, almost already infected. She lightly lifted up her shirt and the same angry cuts had made their way up her stomach stopping just past her belly button. Her pants were ripped into angry shreds much like the skin underneath. Her jeans were already adhered to her skin, pasted there with blood and sweat. Her leg was the worst. It was swollen to the point that it looked more like a sausage stuffed into a too small casing, spilling out slightly where the tears and cuts were made.

It hurt. Alanna worried that the swelling was going to trap her into her jeans, but she already felt so far removed from her surroundings. It was almost too easy to lean back into the vividly red leaves, which were feeling more like a memory foam bed, and close her eyes. Some voice in the back of her mind was screaming at her to get up. That if she fell asleep she would never get up.

The voice wasn't loud enough.


	2. The Caretaker

**The Caretaker**

"Oh dear," a soothing voice and the feel of something soft and fuzzy brushing against Alanna's neck, "you poor thing." A pause. "Still alive!" This sounded a bit happier. "Do not worry, dear one. You will be out of pain soon."

Alanna opened her eyes to see a very large being hovering over her. She felt like running, but her way was blocked, so instead she stared the source of the voice down. White fur covered a huge body reminding Alanna vaguely of freshly fallen snow. The being had to be at least seven feet tall, but they had crouched in front of Alanna most likely soiling the pretty purple dress that they were wearing. The face reminded Alanna of some of the cuter goat plushies with a hint of horns sitting between longer and fluffy ears that hung like long flowing hair. The goat-being seemed distressed, their mouth hanging just the slightest bit open, and their dark pink eyes locked onto Alanna's face.

"Hello!" If the beings fur was snow, then their voice was the melted stream that flowed musical and cool. "My name is Toriel," another concerned look, "and you are very hurt. I would suggest not moving much."

"I'm Alanna," she said feeling anything but being polite and exchanging names. Thousands of questions fluttered around her head. "I fell through a hole in the mountain," Alanna continued still feeling rather disconnected from the world around her. "Hi Toriel." She added as an afterthought.

"Alanna," Toriel said her paws, which were the size of baseball gloves, carefully touching her injured leg, "that is a very pretty name. If you would allow it, I would like to heal your injuries."

"Heal them?" How in the world did Toriel intend to heal her? Alanna couldn't see any bandages or even a small box with Toriel.

"At least your leg," Toriel nodded her fingers still lightly pressing at places on Alanna's leg. The pressure was almost non-existent and any new pain faded into the inferno of protest that her body was throwing at her.

"How?"

A warm smile. It struck Alanna at how kind Toriel's eyes seemed to be. "Magic. I suppose you would not run into much of that on the Surface. You must have heard stories of it."

"Magic."

"Yes, perhaps a demonstration?" Toriel asked raising her eyebrows. Alanna nodded the smallest bit and Toriel grinned. She stood pulling her hands from Alanna's injured leg and taking a few steps back. The whites of her eyes suddenly shifted into a void of black, the dark pink irises shining from the voids with a light of their own. Fire suddenly sprung up and engulfed her hands twisting and snapping at the air around it with vicious movements.

Alanna, at the sudden shift from almost adorable to deadly, instinctively pushed herself back and further into the leaves. The wicked grin left Toriel's face, and Alanna felt herself relax the smallest bit in response.

"I did not mean to startle you." She said her hands falling to her sides, still aflame.

"You're not using _that_ to heal me?" Alanna said her eyes still locked on the flames. Toriel held her hand up and the fire flickered out as quickly as it had appeared in the first place.

"No," Toriel comforted her eyes still the strange black, "I would use this." Where fire had once wrapped around her hands a green slow-moving aura flared to life twisting and shifting with a strangely soothing air.

"That looks a bit less deadly." Alanna said her eyes following the strangely mesmerizing energy.

"Very much so," Toriel laughed. She watched Alanna for a moment. "May I?"

Toriel seemed kind. Her eyes kept flickering to Alanna's injured leg, and with each look more tension built up around them. Alanna nodded slightly, hoping beyond hope that the woman in front of her was truly as kind as she seemed.

Toriel smiled and brought her hand down to Alanna's leg. The green spread away from her hand and crawled up Alanna's body bringing with it a strange dimly felt warmth. It eased her pain the smallest bit, and Alanna went to thank Toriel, but the look on her face stopped her immediately.

Toriel looked worried, and beyond that she looked extremely scared. Her eyes flared and the green flowed out of her hand more like a tidal wave. Alanna felt it wash over her a bit more vividly this time. The green pushed its way into her skin forcing the soothing warmth into her body. Toriel seemed to be panting with the effort.

Alanna watched in amazement as a few of the shallower cuts sealed themselves underneath the strange green energy that clung to her skin and moved as if it were some sort of liquid.

"Alanna," Toriel said her voice made of tension, "I am going to look at something. I promise I shall not hurt you." She soothed. Alanna nodded her consent.

Toriel pulled her hands back the green flickering out. The green around Alanna's body hung in the air for a moment before fading from existence. There was a moment where Toriel's eyes met Alanna's, and then the world suddenly flickered.

There was a strange feeling as if her body had suddenly become split. She felt a sudden pulse from the center of her chest, but at the same exact moment she was the thing that was pulsing. Almost all of her balled up into one small point. She was glowing, and from her body she could see it.

It was almost as if she was in two places at once, but both were interconnected. She couldn't move one without the other. In the very center of her chest there was a beacon of light….a heart shape. It was deep red in the center but as the color stretched towards the edges of the heart it lost hue until it became a bright silver.

Floating in front of her, in lights that were dimmer than her heart, she saw her name spelled out along with a string of numbers and a small, mostly red, bar.

 **ALANNA LVL 1 HP:** **I** **III** **2/20**

Alanna blinked trying to get the hallucinations to go away like before. These words were stubborn, and were floating over four boxes that were a dark burnt orange color.

 **| FIGHT | | ACT | | ITEM | | MERCY |**

Past the floating lights Toriel stood a bright white heart shimmering in her chest. Toriel didn't look as sturdy as Alanna. Where Toriel seemed to fade the smallest bit at the edges Alanna realized that her own glowing heart was sitting in a small transparent window while the rest of her body remained solid.

* **Toriel stands above you**

The floating word lights informed her, though she could see Toriel just fine. Toriel was staring at Alanna with a slightly open mouth.

"I suppose I should explain to you what this is." She said still staring at Alanna's floating heart. "That," she said nodding towards her chest, "is your Soul. That is the very essence of your being. Here in the Underground we Monsters fight using our souls and magic."

"My Soul…" Alanna said bringing her hands up to lightly touch her Soul. When her hands covered it they became transparent allowing her Soul to continue to shine. All around her body she felt a gentle pressure as if she were comforting herself. It was a strange experience.

"You can do many things in order to get through a fight. My preferred method is to ACT." She said with a small smile. There was a sadness behind her eyes that Alanna felt was still fresh. "I'm going to SPARE you." She said after a minute of her staring at Alanna's Soul.

 ***Toriel is Sparing you!**

Alanna stared at the little phrase waiting for the strange glowing to stop, but nothing happened. She glanced at the floating options in front of her and very carefully pulled herself onto her hands and knees. She forced herself not to whimper when she shifted her leg, but from the frown from she received from Toriel she was sure that she had cried out anyway. She carefully stared at the words and then moved to touch the Mercy button.

It shifted into another screen with the word Spare glowing in a bright yellow. Alanna shifted herself to touch the spare and the room faded back into its original colors. The glowing in her chest faded, and a strange feeling of lethargy washed over her.

"If you would so allow, I have a house through the Ruins. Perhaps you could rest there until you regain your strength." Toriel said kneeling next to Alanna.

"I don't think I can walk..."

"Of course you cannot." Toriel said her eyes slowly shifting back to normal….or at least what Alanna thought was normal. "With your permission I would carry you there."

"I don't know what to think." Alanna said feeling like lead was slowly creeping its way through her veins. "Why are you helping me?"

"Why would I not? You are in pain," Toriel said softly. "I help all who fall here." Alanna must have lost a bit of time because the next thing she knew Toriel's hands were underneath her body. She stood, keeping Alanna cradled carefully against her chest. She was warm, and her fur was extremely soft. It reminded Alanna of the carpet she had in her apartment, but that carpet was brown not white.

"Others have fallen?"

Toriel smiled, the world swaying and blurring beyond her face. "Yes, actually many have fallen down here." Toriel then began to speak about the various humans who had fallen into the Underground. Alanna, exhausted, hardly understood what she was saying, but found she liked listening to the cadence of her voice. She reminded Alanna of her professors in college. She half dozed listening to the various tales. She was the second non-child to have fallen into the Underground. She caught that bit.

"Frisk." The name suddenly cut through the haze that had been blurring and softening the world around her.

"Frisk?" The name rang a bell. Something half-forgotten pinging in her head. "I know that name….Frisk," the word itself tasted familiar as if she had said it a million times before.

"They fell down here the most recently…other than you of course." Toriel said smiling down at Alanna. Her eyes were black and pink once more, and Alanna felt the smallest bit of shock at the change. She glanced down to herself and was amused to see green energy hanging over her skin like disturbed water. She glanced at her arms, and found that the cuts were still there. The purple dirt was still caked on her skin. Her shirt had ridden up the smallest bit and the cuts that marred her skin from her waist to her belly button were still just as red.

"Oh!" Toriel said following her gaze. "Yes, I am attempting to heal your leg. Though I believe you are a special human indeed, Alanna." Questions bubbled up in Alanna's mind, but they disappeared before she could fully get a grasp on one. "You seem to be…adverse to magic."

"What?"

"Magic does not act on you like it should. You should have been healed ten times over by now, but your body resists." Toriel explained. "You are still very injured," she said in response to the confusion on Alanna's face, "and I think you may have hit your head during your fall. I am attempting to heal that as well. We may discuss these things when you are more aware of your surroundings."

Another stretch of time passed, this time with Alanna trying very hard not to fall asleep. You weren't supposed to fall asleep with a head injury, or at least that's what all of the movies had told her. "Here we are." Toriel said sweeping her through a well-tended lawn with a large, leafless tree. The house was rather large, and looked like it belonged here surrounded by stone and grass.

 **File Saved.**

"Did you see that?" Alanna gasped looking at Toriel. "You must have seen that!"

"Do not mind the Monsters lurking around my house," Toriel comforted. "They know not to bother you here."

"No," Alanna went to protest, but then they were in the house. Toriel quickly turned to the right-hand side of the house and walked down to a door that warned the viewer of construction. She pushed the door open to reveal a very large bathroom that had a bathtub that would fit a Toriel-sized person….or Monster….or whatever.

"I am going to set you down for a moment so that I may draw you a bath. It looks like you dragged yourself through the dirt." She said placing her with her back against the wall. A quiet squeaking and the sound of water mixed with a warm humming that sounded very jazz-like. Alanna glanced to her leg and felt her eyes widen in surprise. The swelling was gone, and while there was still pain it was nothing compared to what it had been. Maybe she wouldn't have to cut herself out of her jeans after all.

"I couldn't walk." Alanna explained without real thought. "I was looking for a way out."

"You all do." Toriel said a measure of bitterness in her tone. Yet when she glanced towards Alanna there was nothing but affection. "How old are you, Alanna?"

"I'm 23. About to be 24." Alanna knew she didn't look her age. She couldn't quite pin down what made her look so young.

"Have you had a formal education?" Toriel asked pouring some green liquid into the bath she was making.

"I have a Bachelors Degree in Broadcast Journalism." Alanna couldn't help but smile at the surprised look that Toriel gave her. "Ummm….I graduated college." She added in case Toriel didn't understand.

"How wonderful!" Another bottle seemingly pulled out of nowhere this time a light pink color that made the room instantly smell sweet. The actual smell of it seemed to shift and fluctuate through different sweet things like apples, candy, and vanilla. "How long were you in school?"

"Overall I've been in school since I was four, so about 18 years give or take."

"That's a rather long time." Toriel said the sound of the water finally cutting off. "Here, allow me to help you." She said reaching towards the belt of Alanna's pants. Alanna instantly went red and attempted to scramble back from Toriel's hands.

"I'd rather that I did that," she gasped feeling slightly out of breath. "I'm kinda weird with the whole people seeing me undressed thing…" Alanna's face had flushed a deeper red as she attempted to explain.

"Oh!" Toriel said a small blush of her own causing her cheeks to be tinted pink. Her fur was so white that the color simply seemed to bleed through it showing her embarrassment as well as Alanna's own skin. "I am sorry! I only thought that it would be difficult for you to change seeing as your leg. If you will put your clothes outside of the door when you are finished?" Toriel did not wait for an answer and instead quickly left shutting the door gently behind her.

Alanna sighed and took a moment to breathe in the sweet air of the already-steamy bathroom. Everything that had happened was a lot to take in. She shifted forwards trying her best to ignore the wave of pain from her leg, and untied her shoes pulling them off in a mechanical manner.

"So," Alanna whispered to herself still hunched over her own legs, "I fell down a hole in a mountain." She reached down to one sock which was a bright orange and slowly peeled it away from her foot. "A mountain that every single person I've met told me not to go to." On to the next sock Alanna peeled back the bright blue sock and wiggled her toes in the freedom. She leaned back taking a small amount of strength from the solidity of the wall against her back. "Not only were they right," Alanna began to undo her belt, "but they were also right about the Monsters that lurked underneath."

After a bit of a struggling Alanna managed to peel her pants away from her legs. Panting from the effort she leaned back again closing her eyes and feeling slightly dizzy. "Not that they were right about everything." She breathed her words hardly stirring the air. Another struggle, this one smaller than the last. "The Monsters don't seem awful…or at least Toriel doesn't. I wonder where the other Monsters are…."

Within a few minutes Alanna had deposited her clothes outside of the door and was soaking in the sweet scented water. The warmth soaked into her bones. After scrubbing away the purple dirt that had been caked onto her skin she simply let herself float in the water, feeling better in the water than she did out of it.


	3. 72 Uses for Snails

72 Uses for Snails

Sometime later Alanna realized that the warm bath had become almost cool, and she carefully pulled herself out of the tub excited that she could put the smallest amount of weight onto her leg. Her head felt clearer and the cuts that decorated the top half of her body looked a bit less angry than they had before. A large neatly folded towel was sitting on the top of the toilet, and like most of the things in the house, it was much larger than Alanna needed. She was surprised to find that in place of her soiled clothes was a pretty light blue dress. It was much bigger than Alanna needed, but she felt it was very small for Toriel. Maybe one of her old dresses from her youth. Her shoes, now clean, were sitting next to them.

After changing she limped through the house until she came into a living room type area where a large cushy chair sat in front of a low burning fire. Alanna climbed into the chair careful not to tweak her leg or unbalance a brown book that sat on the arm. Curiously she took the book into her lap.

"72 Uses for Snails." Alanna read aloud finding the mere concept of the book to be amusing. By the time that Toriel came rushing back into the house Alanna had reached the chapter that was explaining in vivid detail how snails could be used for royal purple ink.

"Hello!" Toriel said laying a few bags on the table across the room. "I am sorry that I took so long." She said fussing with one of the bags. "Cinnamon or Butterscotch, which do you prefer?" She asked glancing up with a smile.

"Cinnamon," Alanna answered shutting the book and placing in back where she had first found it.

"You do not dislike Butterscotch, do you?" Alanna shook her head and Toriel smiled even wider. "Here, you should eat this," Toriel added walking over and pressing a small loaf of bread into her hands. "Unless you ate before you fell."

Alanna instantly felt shame color her cheeks. She had the bad habit of not eating much. It was due to a weak hunger reflex and it had plagued her all of her life. She often forgot to eat, even when her parents were shoving food at her. Ever since she had been living alone she had taken to eating less and less and the results were beginning to show.

"Thank you, Toriel." Alanna said taking a small bite out of the loaf of bread. It was still slightly warm in the very center and it tasted slightly of butter. Toriel smiled at her and went past her into a room that was behind her chair. Alanna nibbled on the bread while bringing the book back onto her lap.

"Excuse me," Toriel's voice broke through Alanna's concentration on the book. "Earlier you said that you knew the name Frisk…"

Alanna nodded setting the book aside.

"Did you perhaps know Frisk?"

"No, but I heard of Frisk." Alanna feeling her heart drop with the mention of the name. It was a story she had heard of when she first moved in, at the time it was a very big deal but as time went on the tale died down.

"What do you know of the child?"

Toriel looked sad which was jarring against the sweet smell that was beginning to waft from behind her. "All I really know is that the kid went missing from a local orphanage. They called off the search about a month ago. Authorities think they're dead."

"An orphanage?" Toriel spoke quietly as if she were speaking to herself. "Pardon me for a moment."

Toriel quickly left the room, and Alanna felt strangely bad for the monster. If Frisk wasn't here, then they had to be out and away from the Ruins. She carefully got out of the large chair and put weight on her leg. There was a deep soreness, but other than that she could use her leg.

She padded into the kitchen her eyes instantly finding Toriel hunched over the sink.

"Toriel?" Alanna asked pausing in the kitchen doorway not sure what to do.

"Ah, I was only baking." She said without turning towards Alanna. Alanna knew that this did not bode well. Even with what little Alanna knew of Toriel she knew that she was acting strange.

"What's wrong?"

"Frisk," Toriel said softly, "when they fell here into the Underground they stayed with me. They asked to call me mother. I didn't realize…" Toriel took a steadying breath. "Frisk left to brave the rest of the Underground so that they could go back to the Surface. I told the child not to come back here." Toriel turned to look at Alanna and the sheer regret broke her heart. Alanna wanted to reach out and comfort her, but she had a feeling the comfort of a stranger was not welcomed. "The child called me only once…..I didn't answer." Tears began to flow. Alanna felt alarmed, unsure of what to do. "And then that dog…."

"Toriel," Alanna began.

"Oh! You must be exhausted!" Toriel exclaimed through her tears. "Here," She said brushing past Alanna but somehow catching her hand as she did so. She guided Alanna through the house her large soft hand firm in Alanna's own.

"But," Alanna began, but Toriel was not having it.

"Please," she asked pushing open a door into a child-like room, "sleep will do you good now. We may speak after you've rested." She promised helping her into the small bed. Seeing as Alanna was only about 5'6 the bed fit her pretty well.

"You don't have to mother me," Alanna began to protest.

"If I do not, who will?" Toriel really did feel like a great mothering force. Alanna wondered exactly why she was so easily hushed by the motherly figure. She guided with such a gentle but steady force. Toriel was so warm in her personality it made it hard to doubt her genuine concern.

Alanna hated that as soon as Toriel tucked her into the bed she felt herself quickly losing consciousness. She supposed she didn't know exactly how long she crawled along the dirt covered floor of the Ruins. Thinking back time felt fractured. Pain and panic were overwhelming.

Before Alanna knew it, her mind had wandered, and Toriel lightly touched her cheek her paws soft and warm. Darkness rose and Alanna had nowhere near the power to fight it.


	4. Nowhere to Go But Foward

Nowhere to Go but Foward

Alanna woke with the room drenched in twilight. The covers which Toriel had carefully tucked around her were now tangled about her legs. Alanna fought the covers off and carefully padded out of the room. Her leg still gave her some trouble, but it was incredible how quickly Toriel had helped heal her. The house was silent, a fire still gently crackling in the fireplace. Alanna wondered briefly if the fire was dangerous, but seeming to sense her presence it grew a bit brighter, she could feel the heat from where she stood.

A large pie, much bigger than Alanna could ever eat, was sitting in the kitchen. The air held its sweet scent. Alanna turned away from the pie heading back into the other wing of the house. Toriel's door was cracked the smallest bit open. She could see her breathing slowly, tucked into her own bed. Alanna crept past heading back towards the bathroom, but paused when she saw a large mirror at the end of the hall.

She crept towards it almost afraid of what she would see. It was Alanna. The first thing people would notice about her was the huge and untamed mane of red hair. Because of the excitement the previous day her hair was matted and clumped together. Her pale skin was interrupted by a galaxy of freckles, and her golden eyes rimmed with dark lashes still looked exhausted. The bags under her eyes were a pronounced purple and there were a few small cuts that decorated her face. The most noticeable being across her right cheek.

Alanna reached up and touched the spot, not realizing that she even had cuts on her face. The cut was sore but nothing compared to the rest of her body. The cuts on her arms and her stomach were rather touchy. They didn't seem infected but they certainly weren't gone. Neither was the pain in her leg. Her hair was a lost cause without a brush.

She stepped away from the mirror and headed back into the living room, feeling restless. The fire greeted her with increased warmth and she tucked herself back into the large soft chair. The fire crackled, and Alanna wondered briefly if it was attempting to speak to her.

It was possible…she did fall down a hole into a mountain where magic and monsters were real. At this point Alanna felt as if she had rolled a crit 1 in this strange fantasy quest she had been thrust into.

The strange twilight in the house caught Alanna by surprise. She couldn't quite understand where the light came from in the Underground, but whatever light there was had been muted. It felt like it was in the middle of the night. Alanna wondered if she had been noticed missing yet. She had a few days of vacation before needing to go back to work, and her parents rarely contacted her. At least Toriel found her, she would have most certainly died in one way or another.

Very slowly the darkness began to lift. Alanna curled further into herself and let her mind drift. She wondered how the small orphan child Frisk had survived the fall.

"Alanna?" Toriel's voice broke her from the slight doze that she had been drifting in and out of.

"Good morning," Alanna said turning to see Toriel standing in front of her looking slightly worried. Alanna wondered if she was always so worried. "Sorry I stole your seat." She said sliding out of the chair. Her leg ached horribly but she found she could bear it. Toriel seemed to be the slightest bit relieved that she stood so quickly.

"I attempted to fix your clothing," Toriel said holding out a small bundle. "Your pants were almost beyond saving. But I think I patched them sufficiently."

"Oh thank god!" Alanna gasped taking her clothes back. "No offense," she said quickly, "it's just I really missed having a bra and panties. I'm not one to go commando." She felt that there was no salvaging the situation but her mouth kept running. A bad habit of hers. "And I usually don't wear dresses so I keep tripping on it…I mean….thank you."

"You are quite welcome, child." Toriel beamed.

"Toriel, how long has it been since Frisk left here?" The smile fell away from Toriel's face. It was strange to see the instant worry and sadness.

"A few months. The child stayed with me for about a month before they left." She answered after a moment.

"You worry about them a lot don't you?"

Toriel watched Alanna for a moment, and then her face broke. Large tears rolling down her face. "Every day," she admitted, "the Monsters beyond the Ruins….they….no." There was a sudden anger. "Asgore will kill the child. They are most likely dead. I have tried so many times to save you humans, but there is no stopping your kind."

"Have you tried to contact them?"

Toriel's face scrunched up angrily. "That…. _annoying_ dog took my phone! I no longer have Frisk's number. I tried to get them to stop…"

"Yeah, we're a determined lot." Alanna said reaching and lightly touching her shoulder. "Once we set our mind to something it's hard to dissuade us."

"I assume you will leave too."

Alanna looked to Toriel and found her heart aching for her. Alanna did not make friends easily. She needed people, but only those already close to her. All the time she had spent in Ebott and she only had a few acquaintances. She had been so lonely, and she felt drawn to Toriel in a way that was beyond her. She wanted to help her. Alanna wasn't sure why.

"I can go look for Frisk," Alanna said softly, "or I can stay here for a while until I'm fully healed. But if I'm going to look for Frisk, sooner is probably better."

Toriel watched her a shocked expression on her face. There was a strange moment of breathlessness. "You would do this for me?"

"It's the least I can do."

"It could mean your death." Her pink eyes bore into Alanna.

"Yeah…."

"Are you not afraid of dying?"

Alanna paused. She was unsure of how to express her thoughts. "It's not that I'm fearless when it comes to death….but…I was facing it earlier when I fell down here. I'll face it again even if I'm suddenly put back on the Surface. I'll have to get out eventually, and it seems the only way out is forward."

"You do not even know how to fight."

"I thought you preferred to act."

"Alanna," Toriel said her voice dead serious, "if you are to do this I will teach you to fight. Follow me outside."

"Um….dress?" She asked touching the fabric.

"Your dress will work. We do not want to dirty your clothes too early." Toriel said already heading outside. Alanna sighed and placed her clothes onto the chair.

Alanna followed Toriel, wondering what exactly she had in mind. Toriel had advocated acting instead of fighting.

The light had picked back up outside, and Alanna glanced back to the house. The yard was so tidy and the house so natural looking within its cavern that Alanna felt a surge of determination to help Toriel.

 **Game Saved.** Another two note run.

"Alanna," Toriel began turning towards the small red-head.

"Toriel," Alanna replied gritting her teeth in preparation. She knew that in order to fight it would make her soul glow again.

"Brace yourself."


	5. Fight

Fight

"Brace yourself."

There was a sudden wrenching of her gut, and Alanna felt her consciousness split into two once more. Her heart shined out of her chest, and the burnt orange commands floated in a semi-circle around Alanna.

 ***Toriel confronts you!**

"Monsters have magic, and we can use this magic to either help or harm." Toriel's eyes bled into black. The pink glowed back at Alanna with a righteous glory.

 **ALANNA LVL 1 HP:** **II** **II** **10/20**

Alanna glanced to her health surprised to see that it had risen. It reflected about how she felt. It was her turn; she could feel in her bones. It was as if the entire area was holding its breath. Faintly as if she were more imagining it than actually hearing it, she heard music. It seemed to pound along with her heart.

Alanna reached out and touched the act button, and more commands popped up. She could **check** Toriel or **talk** to her.

"You don't want to hurt me," Alanna said choosing to talk to her. "You want me to find Frisk."

"You're right," Toriel confirmed. Alanna felt the turn slip away from her and the options seemed to retreat away from her. Toriel narrowed her eyes and threw out her hand. A sudden flurry of fireballs roared at Alanna.

She screamed, and tried to dodge out of the way of the onslaught. She automatically dipped and dived through the attack, not realizing until the terror was over that she was now floating above Toriel, rather easily actually.

"Toriel, I'm flying." Alanna's voice did not nearly show the wonder and horror she felt at the moment. Her heart, silver and red, was pulsing in her chest. She knew instantly that this was what was allowing her to fly. Her soul didn't have limitations like her body. Of course she could fly in combat.

"Yes, and you did well!" Toriel said clapping her hands together happily. "But, we need to figure out what your special move is."

"My special move?" Alanna hadn't realized but the options had risen to float around her again. It was her turn. "Toriel, I can dodge attacks that's all we need." She tried to talk her out of the fight. Alanna could see her words take effect. She looked unsure.

 ***Toriel's ATK fell!**

"Oh my dear," Toriel said eyes bright, "you will do well. But, we must understand your special power. It may help you. Search yourself, maybe you'll understand it. That is how I learned of my magic." She did not hesitate. A rain of fire. An inferno.

Alanna moved in and out of the strange streams of fire attempting to do as Toriel instructed. And…. _there_. Alanna could feel something….what it was she wasn't certain. Deciding to try she focused in on the feeling. There was a moment of floundering and then she felt it. She swung out her hand just as a large fireball was ready to slam into her.

Toriel cried out in fear.

Alanna pushed and with that push a rippling ball made of silver light bloomed around her rising to meet the fireball. She could feel the explosion in a strange detached sort of way. Like how one could feel the ghost of a person's touch when they held their fingers just above the skin.

Alanna looked up surprised to see the bright silver rippling mass. It felt solid but looked like lace made of silver light. It rippled about two feet around her in all directions holding her in a brightly shining ball. Another fireball hit her shield and she felt it stutter under her control. A third and she felt the bubble give way to the inferno. It collapsed back into her soul, but Alanna was ready. She attempted to dodge the remaining fireballs and only got skimmed by one once. The fireball that skimmed across her arm left an angry red streak behind but other than that she was fine.

She felt the attack end and she let herself lower to the ground. Toriel stared at her in shock. Alanna echoed her sentiment. When she was doing the strange lightshow it felt as natural as the flying she had done before, but now that she was standing firmly on the ground the act she just performed hit her.

"What the hell just happened?" She gasped looking at her hands. There was a small pang of regret for using even slightly bad language around Toriel, but it wasn't large enough for her to care about right now.

"Your special move, it seems." Toriel answered.

"Do all humans have a special move?" She asked looking into her eyes. Toriel, in that moment, seemed ancient.

"In a way, yes," Toriel said her eyes fading back to normal. Her name has shifted to a bright yellow in the act menu. Alanna confused attempted to talk to her.

"What do you mean in a way?" The turn shifted, but no attack came. It simply moved back to her after a moment.

"You must spare me." Toriel explained. "When a monsters name shifts to yellow, you can spare them if you choose to do so."

Alanna reached out to the **mercy** option seeing that the **spare** option was also yellow. She lightly touched it and felt her soul and body come back together into one whole being. It was a strangely calming feeling.

 ***You spared Toriel. You receive 0 EXP and 0 gold.**

"Back when Monsters and Humans lived together on the Surface there were many humans who had special abilities during battle. I knew of one human who could phase their body through attacks. They were quite the fighter," Toriel said walking up to Alanna her eyes searching the small red-head.

"I never would have guessed that was possible."

"Your ability, however, is not the same as the other humans…." She continued locking gazes with Alanna. "Some humans had a mastery over death, being able to fully heal themselves at the last moment before they died. Some could use speed to strike much faster and harder than a monster could. Most humans used a force called Determination to achieve these feats. What you just used, however, was magic. Now there were humans who could use magic, we called them Wizards, and in fact Wizards are the reason that we are in the Underground."

"Please don't say 'yer a wizard Harry'." Alanna said taking a step back. That would be too much in this moment. Alanna was not a wizard. She knew this to be a fact. She never had strange things happen around her, and she never saw her mother or father doing wizardly things. They were mundane if not for their wanderlust.

"Why would I call you…Harry?" Toriel asked looking confused.

"Nevermind that, are you calling me a wizard?" She asked eyes wide.

"Well…" Toriel said looking down in thought, "not quite. While humans who possess magic are called wizards their brand of magic is very distinct. From what I saw….and….fought….against." She forced the last few words out as if it burned her to say. "Their hearts were always one color, and their magic matched their soul color. Human souls that I've seen have never had the strange silver yours contains."

"It looks like I cast out a net of like mercury or something." Alanna said recalling the strange twisting and moving bubble she had conjured.

"Yes, your magic is almost reminiscent of Monster magic I've seen once before." She said reaching out to lightly take Alanna's hand. "Which could mean, that back in time an ancestor may have been in love with a monster. Of course this is only speculation, it may just be a rare form of magic." There was a moment of pause. "I would ask you not to use that ability unless it is absolutely necessary. Your strange soul color will draw you enough attention as it is."

"I don't want attention like that I'm guessing." Alanna said taking comfort from the soft warmth of Toriel's hand.

"No, you do not." Toriel chuckled drawing her back towards the house.

"My soul color is strange?" Alanna asked realizing Toriel's earlier statement.

"Yes, humans normally have a solidly colored soul," she explained as they entered the house, "but yours isn't like that. In fact, your soul seems mainly human in the center but as it spread out it looks more and more like a monster soul."

"Your soul is white though."

Toriel sat Alanna down in the large chair and went towards the bedroom section of her house. A few seconds later she came back out with a bandage and a small jar.

"Yes, my soul is white. But, there are certain monsters that have silver souls." She said smearing the cream onto Alanna's newest injury. The cream stung, but Alanna had gone through much worse a day ago. "There was one in particular, back when we were on the Surface. He was very human-looking, for a monster, but his skin showed spiraling patterns of light and his eyes were a glowing…"

Toriel fell silent as she stared into Alanna's eyes.

"He disappeared, long before the war with the humans. Many thought he went his own way to explore the world…." She sat up, finishing bandaging her arm. Toriel suddenly smiled, rather fondly, at Alanna. "One moment, child." She said heading back towards the bedrooms.

Alanna took her clothes into her arms, rather happy that she didn't wear them for the battle. From her fight with Toriel there were singed pieces of the dress from multiple close calls. She came back holding three new things. One was a rather long coat with a strange ever shifting fur lining on the inside. The outside shifted as well, almost trying to blend into the surrounding area. The second was a small necklace that had the strange symbol that Toriel always wore. The last was a pair of gloves made of some sort of black leather.

"Here, you'll need these for your journey….and perhaps a bag…." Toriel said looking thoughtful. "Here, change into these," she added handing her the items, "and I'll pack your bag for you."

"So ready to get rid of me," Alanna mumbled to herself as she headed back to the room she slept in. She pulled the dress off, and quickly pulled on her bra and panties happy to feel some sort of support again. Her pants had been spectacularly repaired, and she was immensely happy to see that her t-shirt was largely unharmed. It was a rather plain shirt, mostly black with a band name scrawled across her chest in thin looping lettering.

Alanna watched the necklace for a moment and then she carefully clasped it around her neck, watching as it fell just below the hollow in her throat. A little bit of movement and her shirt swallowed it whole. The gloves went on after that. She pulled on the large coat on last, surprised at how soft it was. When she first began to pull it on it had seemed way too large, but by the time she settled it around her it was a perfect fit. She doubted she ever had a piece of clothing fit her so well before. It even had pockets!

Alanna carefully pulled on her shoes which she had left in the room when she first changed into her dress. The result was a rather refreshed feeling Alanna, though she still had plenty of healing cuts and a leg that protested her moving, she was simply excited to still be alive.

Alanna walked out of the room and found Toriel placing the last few items into her bag. Once again she could almost hear a gentle and happy song that represented this house…that represented Toriel. It was calming, and extremely upsetting. Alanna realized she didn't want to leave quite yet, but she knew if she didn't her chances at finding Frisk would diminish.

"I added a few extra things for you," Toriel said holding out the backpack. Alanna took it and put it on, feeling vivid flashbacks from her college days. Toriel took her hand and they made their way down the set of stairs that she had never really thought about before this moment. They followed a long purple hall until they came to a large door with the same symbol as her new necklace.

"Alanna," Toriel turned to her letting go of her hand, "be careful, will you not? I wish you luck on your journey." She said taking Alanna's face in-between her hands. She leaned forwards and lightly kissed Alanna's forehead, and with it came a sudden peace. "Be good." She added before stepping away and pushing the large door open. Beyond it was what looked like a gently sloping ramp in the same purples that the Ruins constantly held.


	6. Snow in the Underground

Snow in the Underground

Alanna glanced to Toriel, and then began her slow walk up the slope. The door ground to a close behind her, and Alanna felt once again alone. It was a brief moment of companionship, but it was the only one Alanna had since college. Her leg complained, but she ignored it and continued up the long path, the light becoming less and less purple as she moved along. The air, she noticed, was also becoming colder.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Alanna asked herself after a few minutes of trekking. "I'm taking on a Monster city in order to save a single kid, all because I fell through a hole into Wonderland." She huffed her breath becoming visible in the air. There was a brighter light at the end of the strange sloping tunnel, and Alanna picked up the pace slightly.

She exited a strange looking door that held the symbol of Toriel, and instantly stepped into snow.

"No way," she said reaching down to let her fingers trail through the powder, "how does it snow underground?" Alanna pulled her fingers away from the snow, already feeling the cold through her gloves, and she began to slowly walk through the strange new land.

Large trees lined the small path she followed crowding in close and allowing no sight of what might lay beyond them. A rather large stick, snapped in half, lay across the pathway. Alanna carefully stepped over it and found herself kicking up the snow, almost dancing as she moved along in spite of her leg.

She should be frightened of this entire place. She should be cowering as she walked, looking around for possible danger, but instead she was half-dancing through the landscape. She came across a small footbridge that seemed to span a pit to nowhere. There was a strange….gate….type thing that crossed it set into the sides of the pit. She moved through the gate, letting herself reach out and touch one of the tree trunk sized slats.

For a moment Alanna felt eyes on her. She twisted around, but all she seemed to see was a single yellow flower, braving the snow. It was a strange sight to be sure, but maybe the flowers down here adapted to bloom in snow. Stranger things had already happened.

She continued on, and froze when she saw a large skeleton messing with what looked like a sentry station. The skeleton was huge, much larger than anyone she had ever met. For a moment she felt nothing but sheer fear, and then the skeleton….laughed.

"NYEH HEH HEH!" It was surprisingly loud. The skeleton's voice reminded her very much of Skeletor actually. That couldn't be a nice comparison. Alanna instantly attempted to scold herself.

There were a few moments of him rummaging around and then he stood straight again his hands going to rest on his hipbones with a huff. He was a very well-dressed skeleton. He wore a white puffy shirt that had a few red lines on the right breast and had yellow trim at the arms and torso, a long and very red scarf that matched his very red gloves and boots. He wore what looked to be very short shorts that were blue with the yellow trim. Overall it was a rather nice look for him.

Of course that was when he saw her. Alanna had been so busy staring at the skeleton that she hadn't moved into a more hidden area.

"OH MY GOD," the skeleton said looking shocked. "ARE YOU….ARE YOU A HUMAN?" He asked taking a few steps forwards. Alanna instantly took a few steps back.

"Yes, I'm a human." She said softly expecting the gut wrenching pull at any second. Toriel had said that they would go after her. That they would either kill her or take her to Asgore.

A look of wonder shifted over the skeletons face, and his eye sockets sparkled. "WOWIE!" He said instantly causing Alanna to smile slightly. Shouldn't she be afraid? "ANOTHER HUMAN! YOU'RE MUCH BIGGER THAN THE HUMAN I KNOW!"

He moved towards her coming to a stop about a foot or two away from her. He seemed to be picking up on the slight fear that Alanna was radiating.

"OH," he said pausing for a moment, "THE HUMAN TOLD ME THAT I NEED TO INTRODUCE MYSELF FIRST. HELLO, OTHER HUMAN, 'TIS I THE GREAT PAPYRUS! AT YOUR SERVICE," he added in a softer tone with a tiny grin.

"My name is Alanna, and it is really nice to meet you, Papyrus." She ventured holding out her hand to the skeleton. He shook it…..vigorously. The gloves were rather soft, and she could feel his hand underneath. He was also rather warm. Warmer than she was, at least.

"DID YOU FALL DOWN HERE TOO?" He asked kneeling the smallest bit so that she could see his face better. Even kneeling he was a bit taller than her.

"Wait…you met Frisk?" Alanna asked realizing what his words meant.

"YOU KNOW THE HUMAN TOO?!" He seemed overjoyed.

"I know of them, but I don't really know them." Alanna clarified.

"OH," that seemed to deflate him a bit, "THAT IS OKAY. I'M SURE THE HUMAN WOULD LIKE ANOTHER HUMAN'S COMPANY! AND YOU COULD MEET MY BROTHER, SANS. YOU COULD MEET UNDYINE!" Papyrus said growing more excited with every word. "THEN MAYBE WE COULD BE FRIENDS."

"Friends?" Alanna paused looking into his face. Even being a skeleton he showed more emotion than a lot of the humans that Alanna knew. He seemed to be sparkling with hope at the idea of being her friend. It was adorable. "If I'm being honest, I don't have many friends right now."

"WHY?"

"I only recently came to this town….or at least….that town." Alanna said pointing in a vague upwards motion. "So I don't really know that many people." If you could count a year as being recent.

"IF YOU WANT, YOU COULD GET TO KNOW ME." Papyrus' tone was softer this time. Almost gentle. "IT'S A LONG WALK TO MY HOUSE."

"You don't want to take my soul?" She asked her hands going to touch her chest.

"OH DEAR," he said looking absolutely wrecked by her question, "ARE YOU AFRAID OF ME? I ASSURE YOU THAT I WILL NOT TAKE YOUR SOUL."

"Okay, I guess I can go with you. I don't really have anywhere else to go." She said and then when she realized she sounded slightly rude she quickly added, "I would love to get to know you."

"WONDERFUL!" He said standing straight again. "MY HOUSE IS THIS WAY."


	7. Scenic My House

Scenic "My House"

The two of them walked in silence for a while, Alanna taking in the scenery around her, and Papyrus taking in Alanna. They passed another guard station, and then another, but no one came to stop them.

"EXCUSE ME, HUMAN." Papyrus said breaking the silence between them. "DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? FOR ME?"

"Oh," Alanna instantly began wracking her brain. She wasn't very good at this type of stuff. "What's your favorite color?" She asked already cringing at the question. _That_ was the best she could come up with?

"MY FAVORITE COLOR IS RED, MUCH LIKE YOUR HAIR! MY FRIEND UNDYINE HAS HAIR JUST LIKE YOURS!" Papyrus said happily. "SHE'S THE CAPTIAN OF THE ROYAL GUARD." He continued easily. "WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR HUMAN?"

"My favorite color is blue," she said quickly, "but a really dark blue. Like the sea on a stormy day." She added.

"WHAT IS THE SEA?"

Alanna stopped in her tracks staring in shock at the skeleton. "You don't know what the sea is?" He shook his head, stopping as well. "It's…..this really big stretch of water. Like, so big that when you stand on the shore, where the water meets the land, you can't see the end of it. It seems like it expands forever even if it really doesn't. It always moves and it smells like water, salt, and wind. There's almost always wind near the water." She tried to explain. Papyrus looked riveted.

"'WOWIE." He began to walk again, and Alanna realized that her leg was beginning to hurt more and more. It seemed the cold and the movement wasn't doing it any good.

"DO YOU LIKE PUZZLES?" Papyrus asked out of the blue.

Alanna nodded. "One of my favorite video games is Portal 2, it's all about solving puzzles. Do you like to read?"

"MY BROTHER READS ME A BEDTIME STORY EVERY NIGHT." Papyrus said nodding. "DO YOU LIKE SPAGHETTI?"

"I love Italian food!" Alanna said smiling widely.

"THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL COOK SOME FOR YOU!"

"You can cook?" Alanna asked trying to keep up with his stride. "I bake more than I cook. Maybe someday I can make some for you."

"ARE YOU INJURED?" Papyrus stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes fixed on her hurt leg. Actually the more he looked at her the more he seemed to realize the various cuts and bandages she had on.

"Yeah, I got hurt falling down here."

"I AM SORRY I DID NOT REALIZE SOONER! DO YOU NEED ASSISTANCE WALKING?" There was a nervous energy about him now, like he couldn't stand to see her limping along.

"It's not too bad." She said waving his worry away. "It was a lot worse earlier." She said looking to her leg as well. She was pretty happy that the coat she had on covered her arms fully, she supposed he would really freak out about the long and ragged looking scratches there.

"OKAY," he said softly not looking very reassured. Well….as softly as he could. "OH, DO YOU KNOW HOW TO SPEAK WITH YOUR HANDS?" He had taken to walking very slowly, his strides shorter. He kept glancing to her hurt leg as she limped along. Alanna attempted to limp less, but it hurt more that way.

"Speak with my hands….do you mean sign language?"

"YES, THAT IS WHAT I MEAN."

"Yeah, my aunt is deaf." She said with a small smile. "When I was little I used to spend hours figuring out how to speak to her. I haven't been able to see her in a while but I can still sign."

"GOOD," Papyrus looked extremely happy. "THE HUMAN USES HANDS TO SPEAK."

Alanna nodded slightly confused. In all of the information she had heard about Frisk, it had never said that they were deaf. Out of the corner of her eye, Alanna saw a strange snowflake looking creature watching them as they walked past. The more she paid attention the more she began to notice different creatures watching them. One had a rather beautifully crafted hat made of ice. She found it slightly difficult to look away, but Papyrus snapped her out of it.

"YOU'RE FROM THE SURFACE," he stated glancing at her, "WHAT IS IT LIKE?"

"Well, it's very open compared to this. There isn't a celling constantly overhead. Sometimes it doesn't feel very big, because we get used to the little piece of land that we stay on. But really it's so much bigger than we realize." She said not sure where to start.

As the two of them walked she tried to explain how utterly vast the outside world was. They came across a few puzzles which Papyrus quickly solved. Her limping had gotten significantly worse, and by the time they came across a snug, if not frozen, little town Papyrus had taken most of her weight as she struggled along.

The few monsters that were outside looked on her in shock. There was one particular monster, who wore a straw hat and looked for all accounts like a human-like bunny who had just exited a small little shop paused, fear crossing her fuzzy face, before quickly darting back into the shop.

"DO NOT WORRY, HUMAN," Papyrus soothed as best he could, "THEY HAVE NOTHING AGAINST YOU. IT IS NOT OFTEN THAT WE SEE A SINGLE HUMAN, LET ALONE TWO AT THE SAME TIME."

Alanna nodded, already feeling exhausted. The cold had irritated her wounds to the point that she was ready to sit where she was and not move for the next century or so. After about a minute of walking Papyrus was guided her towards a cozy looking house.

"HUMAN! I HAVE RETURNED, AND I HAVE BROUGHT SOMEONE WITH ME!" He bellowed as he ushered Alanna through the door. There was a wash of warmth and the sound of feet moving very quickly down stairs.

Alanna knew this face. Soulful brown eyes watched her with a guarded air. Frisk outdid their picture any day. The kid was just about to hit their long and gangly phase. They had flawless skin and hair that hung board straight in a bob haircut. The kid looked wise way beyond their years. No picture could truly convey that.

After a few seconds of staring on both parts Frisk slightly waved their striped sweater flopping to cover their hand as they made the motion. Alanna smiled and waved back tiredly.

"I'm Alanna." She said softly.

Frisk pushed their sleeves up and began to quickly sign, their eyes going to Papyrus. " _My name is Frisk_ **,"** __they signed.

Alanna could help but smile. "Nice to meet you, Frisk." She said and gestured at the same time. Frisk's eyes went wide.

" _You know sign language?"_ Frisk asked taking the smallest step towards her.

"Yeah," Alanna said back, "my aunt is deaf, and she taught me. Do you prefer me talking, or signing….or both?"

Frisk watched her for a moment. " _Both._ "

"I can do that." Alanna swayed slightly, grimacing as the motion put a strain on her leg.

" _You're hurt!"_ Frisk signed rapidly taking a few steps toward Alanna. " _You need to sit! Come on, the couch is nice and soft._ " Frisk said before taking her hand and slowly leading her to the couch.

"You're just as bad as Toriel, she must have rubbed off on you."

Frisk made a soft sound of surprise. " _You met Mom."_

"Yeah….she found me after I fell." Alanna said settling into the couch her backpack near her feet.

"HERE HUMAN, ALLOW ME TO TAKE YOUR COAT!" Papyrus said holding his hands out for the now damp article of clothing. She carefully peeled it off, and was greeted by two similar gasps.

"HUMAN YOU ARE HURT WORSE THAN I THOUGHT." His gaze was locked onto the still angry cuts that decorated her arms and palms.

"Like I said," Alanna said still signing for Frisk's comfort, "I fell."

Frisk quickly got Papyrus' attention. " _Maybe she'll feel better if you make some spaghetti!"_ At their words Papyrus beamed.

"OF COURSE," he boomed, "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL MAKE THE ALANNA HUMAN SOME OF MY FAMOUS SPHAGETTI! AND AFTER YOU MAY REST IN MY BED TO REGAIN YOUR STRENGTH!"

"You don't have to," Alanna said, "I don't want to overstay. Your hospitality is appreciated, but I don't want to wear out my welcome."

"HUMAN ALANNA," Papyrus looked deeply into her eyes, "WE ARE NOW FRIENDS. AND AS YOUR FRIEND IT IS MY DUTY TO TAKE CARE OF YOU." He took her jacket and walked away going to hang it behind the door. He then quickly moved into the kitchen going to work. For a moment Alanna could swear she could hear a bouncing and upbeat song. The song seemed to personify Papyrus, and then her concentration was broken when Frisk lightly tugged on her sleeve.

Frisk had a very serious look on their face, eyes drilling into Alanna's own. " _Alanna, do you know how to Save?"_

Alanna began to speak but Frisk quickly shook their head. This wasn't something Papyrus was supposed to hear then…

" _You mean the floating words?"_ Alanna signed back. Frisk nodded gravely.

" _Did you see the shimmery points that marked them?"_ Frisk stared her down. For the barest moment she could almost see something shifting behind their eyes. Something malevolent was staring back. A great NYEH HEH HEH from the kitchen made Alanna lose concentration, and the strange feeling disappeared with it.

" _No,"_ Alanna signed, " _are there supposed to be?"_

" _For me there are. Those points also heal me to full HP."_

Alanna finally understood what Frisk was attempting to do. She smiled warmly at the kid. They couldn't be more than 11 or 12 years old, but they were already attempting to help.

" _Thank you, but I don't think those work for me. Toriel could hardly heal the cuts on my arms."_ That news seemed to shock Frisk, she could see in their eyes that they had seen firsthand how potent Toriel's magic was.

"WHY DON'T YOU TWO WATCH THE TELEVISION WHILE I COOK?" Papyrus called from the kitchen.

Frisk nodded and fished around until they found the remote. Conversation apparently over for the time being. Frisk clicked the television on and smiled up at Alanna. Three large letters, MTT, dominated the screen in a deep red. A jaunty tune played in the background as the letters faded to reveal what looked like a very square T.V. screen with robotic arms and legs hosting some sort of cooking show.

Alanna glanced to Frisk, who seemed thoroughly immersed as the energetic robot spoke to the audience about how to stir whatever concoction it was holding in its large gloved hands. For how quickly he was stirring Alanna was rather impressed that there was not a spot on the white gloves he wore.

There was a fluttering at the edge of her vision and Alanna turned to see Frisk grinning at her.

" _That's Mettaton. He's my friend."_ Frisk signed.

"How did you meet him?" There was a ruckus from the kitchen and the strange bouncing music kicked up in the edges of her hearing. Papyrus laughed his strange laugh and there was an even louder crash. Followed by many more. Alanna leaned over slightly, wincing as she moved herself into position to see the large skeleton smashing tomatoes with his fists.

She glanced back to Frisk, who quickly began to sign. " _I met Mettaton in Alphys' lab in Hotlands."_ It took Alanna a moment to process the strange terms. " _The first time at least."_ They added.

"Alphys?" She asked confused.

" _She's a,"_ Frisk paused for a moment a small amused smile flickering over their features, "- _a dinosaur."_

Alanna barked out a startled laugh.

"Sorry," she said/signed quickly, "it's just strange. All of this is."

There was a moment of understanding between the two of them. Frisk really smiled. It felt genuine compared to all of the previous ones that they had thrown Alanna's way.

"They're nice though."

Alanna froze as Frisk actually spoke to her. The child's voice was soft but articulate. Half of Alanna wanted to act like it was a big deal, but the more practical side of her warned that it might scare the child.

"Alphys?" Alanna asked half-heartedly signing.

"The monsters here." Frisk added softly eyes on their hands.

"Toriel warned me that they would want my Soul, but so far everyone I've met down here wants to help me." Alanna said her eyes back on the kitchen. "Maybe I should help him," she mumbled when the crashing in the kitchen seemed to reach a crescendo.

Frisk said nothing, but smiled the smallest bit and waved Alanna towards the kitchen. The child turned back to the television watching Mettaton push some dish into the oven with a witty remark.


	8. Save

Save

Alanna forced herself to her feet, trying her best to ignore the sharp ache in her leg. Papyrus was forcefully throwing noodles into a pot. A few of the noodles bounced out of the pot, which made Alanna instantly suspicious of how much water was in the pot.

"Papyrus?" She asked softly. Papyrus spun around excitedly. The front of his clothes were spattered in sauce and bits of tomato, it almost looked gruesome if she didn't know he was cooking.

"YES, HUMAN? WHAT CAN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DO FOR YOU?"

Alanna laughed softly, trying to keep weight off of her leg. "Actually, I was wondering if I could help you."

"SURE!" Papyrus said side-stepping to allow for more room. He reached over and picked up a rather large and scary looking knife. "YOU CAN SCRAPE THE SAUCE AND TOMATOES INTO A BOWL FOR ME."

Alanna glanced into the pot of spaghetti and was mortified to see about an inch of water in the bottom. "Papyrus, maybe you should add some water…." Alanna advised.

"I SUPPOSE I COULD," Papyrus said turning on the faucet, "EVEN A PASTA MASTER LIKE MYSELF CAN USE ADVICE EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE!"

Alanna quickly got to work scraping the obliterated tomatoes into a bowl. The activity was nice, and she found herself humming as she scraped. Papyrus stirred the pasta vigorously the heat extremely high. In fact, flames licked up and around the pot. Strangely it didn't remind Alanna of the flames that Toriel had summoned and rained down upon her. Those had felt different. Those felt savage and filled with a certain type of malice. These felt….empty. Mindless. Normal.

"Do you always keep the heat that high?"

"OF COURSE!" Papyrus said turning towards Alanna.

"Ever think about turning it down?"

"NO!" Papyrus exclaimed so loudly it started Alanna. She took a small step back eyes wide. And then the world turned upside-down.

Something, she wasn't sure what, grabbed a hold of her soul. The world flickered black and then she was ripped sideways. Alanna felt the knife slip from her hands an instant before pain blossomed in her stomach. She had slammed into something. It was inside of her. Blood washed warm down her legs. A grinning skeleton with one burning blue eye took a step towards her. His eye burned into her soul.

"Sans!" A shrill voice screeched.

Time skipped. Sounds suddenly changed, like she had flipped a channel. Frisk was crying in front of her. Dragging her. Screaming for Papyrus to help. Something grabbed her. Folded her up in strong arms. It hurt and she whimpered.

Snow? There was snow and Frisk was running ahead of Alanna. But Alanna wasn't running. Whoever was holding her was. Alanna glanced down at her stomach and instantly wished she hadn't. There was a ragged hole there. It was slick. Wet.

Alanna's arms felt like noodles, but she somehow willed them to her stomach. It painted her hands red.

"HUMAN I DO NOT UNDERSTAND." Was Papyrus crying? Alanna tilted her head up and time skipped once more.

"Alanna!" Hands on her face. Smaller hands. "Please?"

With some effort Alanna opened her eyes. Frisk, though it took her a moment to place the face, was crying and looking down at her.

"Save." Frisk commanded in their tearful voice. They were at the base of some friendly looking buildings. Alanna cast her gaze around, not quite feeling in control of the action. They were near the warm looking inn. Snow fell silently on the strange scene. "You have to!"

The town was so cozy looking. Alanna felt a small surge of determination flow through her at the sight. Frisk was crying.

 **File Saved**. Another two note run.

That's what Frisk wanted, right? She looked to Frisk. "Save!" Alanna blinked, the world going fuzzy.

"I…did…." Talking felt awful. It was so cold.

"HUMAN!" Oh, that's right. She was still in Papyrus' arms. She tilted her head up, and was surprised to see tears streaking down his face. She tried to force herself to smile at him.

"It's…okay…." She gasped out. "I'm…..okay….." Darkness.

Something was being shoved against her face. Everything was blurry. It tasted sweet which was a jarring contrast to the landscape of agony that was her body. The object was jammed harder into her mouth, and she swallowed a bit of it reflexively.

How could skeletons cry?

Alanna attempted to roll her head away from whatever was forcing the sweet stuff into her mouth, but large hands kept her face where it was. She chewed and swallowed. There was a small exclamation of relief, and then more sweet stuff pressed to her mouth. She ate that too, with some effort, and the world fell to black.


	9. megalomaniac

Megalomaniac

The first sound Alanna was aware of was the gentle rustle of paper and wind. The second thing she was aware of was the horrible pain in her stomach. Alanna groaned and sat up, a blanket slipping down her body.

The room she was in was rather sparse. She was sitting on a mattress that was on the floor. A window above her showed flashes of falling snow against a darkened sky. There was a desk with a lamp in the corner, and a treadmill in the center of the room with some sort of note written on it. The strangest feature of the room was directly in front of her, spinning lazily.

"Is that a trash tornado?" Alanna asked her voice slightly scratchy. "With a dog?" A small white dog, along with various bits of trash and paper spun along. It was magical, despite the fact that it was made of trash.

There was a large hamburger sitting on a plate on the floor with a note beside it that read 'eat this, you'll feel better.' Alanna didn't feel particularly hungry, but she took a large bite of the burger anyways. True the note, with each bite her pain died down until it was only an ache.

Alanna, who had been stalling up until this point, took a deep breath and pushed the cover completely off of her torso. She was wearing a new shirt that was rather large on her. The words 'jogboy' were written in a blocky black text on the very white shirt. The sleeves each had black hearts as well.

"That's sure something." She mumbled to herself before pulling the shirt up to reveal her stomach. For a moment she swore she could see the ragged hole from before, but all that was there was a very tender red spot.

Tears threatened to fall as Alanna tried to remember everything that had happened. It was hard. She remembered the blood. Papyrus had been crying. So had Frisk. Alanna got on her feet, the large shirt becoming more like a dress. Her pants were gone too.

Alanna wondered who had undressed her feeling her face flare up thinking of someone seeing her.

Alanna walked out of the room trying to be as quiet as possible. She had no idea what time it was. The low drone and flicker of the t.v. was the only sign of life in the otherwise still house. Alanna crept to glance over the banister, but there was no one in the living room. With a small sigh she moved on unsteady legs down the stairs.

The room, which before had felt warm and welcoming, now felt almost sinister. It felt as if something was watching her. She tried to ignore the feeling even as the little hairs on the back of her neck stood straight.

Alanna walked to the opening of the kitchen where she stopped leaning heavily against the doorway. She felt exhausted.

"Okay," she whispered, "what happened?" Everything had been a blur. It felt more like a nightmare than real-life. They had been making spaghetti. The kitchen was sparkling clean now, it looked as if someone had scrubbed it. She had turned towards papyrus, and then…

Alanna slowly turned to look at the opposite wall. She remembered the feeling of flying, no, being _ripped_ to that wall. It was sparkling clean too. In fact, a large blotch was cleaner than the wall surrounding it. Alanna pushed away from the kitchen and moved to the wall her hand going out to touch it.

In her mind there was a flash of pain, a wash of blood, a high pitched scream, a face. Alanna flinched away from the wall as if she had been burned, her arms going to wrap about her middle as she took a step back. It was the face that threw her off. She knew exactly one skeleton, and the face that she remembered wasn't Papyrus. The face was rounder than Papyrus' face. Thicker, if bones seem thicker, and a thousand times more menacing. Papyrus, while thinner, more angular, and almost harsh, had an innocence and joy that seemed to radiate from him. The other did not.

Alanna realized with a start that she had been standing and staring at the wall for who-knows-how-long now. Forcing her arms to relax she turned to head back to bed, but was frozen when she saw that same face from her foggy memories staring at her.

Alanna didn't remember screaming. She didn't remember moving faster than her battered body ought to be able to and bursting out of the front door. She came back to herself as her feet screamed while she ran through ankle deep snow.

Already the cold had crept up her legs and underneath the foreign shirt. Her body burst into goosebumps, but she pushed on trying to put as much distance between her and the house as possible. Without warning the same skeleton was in front of her, eyes looking distressed and mouth still upturned but with a rueful twist. She didn't have the time to stop, but with an easy sidestep the skeleton caught her and spun out her momentum.

Alanna went to scream again, but was cut off by a low voice. "hey," the skeleton said arms tightening slightly, "is that how ya greet a new pal?"

Alanna was dumbstruck. A new pal?

"come on, don't give me the _cold_ shoulder."

"Don't hurt me," Alanna said remembering the sudden pain. The blood. This skeletons grinning face, one eye a flickering and eerie blue. But that wasn't what he looked like now. The skeleton had a strained smile, and pinpricks of light in dark and empty sockets were trained on her face. She felt the sight burning which meant she was about to cry.

"SANS!" Papyrus' voice broke through the winter air, and Alanna felt tears start to fall shivering violently. There were heavy crunches as Papyrus closed the distance between them. "ALANNA HUMAN! WHY ARE YOU OUT IN THE COLD?"

Just like that she was being lifted from the other skeleton's arms. Sans. Papyrus had called him Sans. The name rang a bell, and Alanna suddenly realized that this must be Papyrus' brother. Alanna couldn't help herself as she instantly buried herself into the larger skeleton shaking with more than just the cold. It was strange how quickly she had grown to trust him.

"OH," he said hugging her a bit tighter to his chest, "I DID NOT KNOW YOU WERE A FAN OF HUGGING!"

"she's scared paps." Sans' voice was low-pitched to the point she could almost feel the vibration of it.

"SCARED?" Papyrus shifted her until she was looking up into his face. "THERE IS NO REASON TO BE AFRAID, HUMAN. THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS HERE TO PROTECT YOU!"

"she's scared of me, bro." There was a heavy sigh. "i _rattled_ her."

Papyrus let out a large groan. "I HATE YOU." He said in a half-hearted way. "ALANNA HUMAN, THERE IS NO NEED TO BE AFRAID OF SANS."

Alanna felt her panic rise as she remembered the glowing blue of Sans' eye. "He attacked me!" Alanna said shivering even more violently. "He…..he….." Words failed her. "It hurt. There was so much blood…" She glanced down at her stomach almost expecting to see the hole again. "Why?" The word poured out before she could think better of it.

"IT WAS A TERRIBLE MISUNDERSTANDING-"

"listen," Sans said catching her eyes, "when i first saw ya i thought that you had attacked my bro." Alanna shivered as his eyes practically held her prisoner. There was something strange about the way his gaze seemed to envelop her own.

"PERHAPS WE CAN DISCUSS THIS IN THE HOUSE." Papyrus said tucking Alanna against his chest. It was then she realized how cold she had grown, and how warm Papyrus was. How was a skeleton warmer than her?

"heh, yeah that's a _cool_ idea bro." Papyrus groaned even louder as he began to walk towards the house. Over his shoulder she met the eyes of Sans. He didn't move as Papyrus began to stride away, and so for the first time Alanna actually got a good look at him.

He watched her with a guarded expression hands now stuffed into the pockets of the deep blue hoodie he wore. He wore the jacket open, letting a white shirt show through. Black basketball shorts hung down to his knees, and his feet were covered in fuzzy pink slippers. Alanna had to do a double take of the pink slippers.

He didn't move an inch as Papyrus swept her into the house. With a quick motion Papyrus shut the door effectively leaving Sans in the cold. Papyrus left Alanna on the couch bustling around to secure her a blanket.


	10. Pasta Master

Pasta Master

"there wasn't much time to think," the deep voice sounded off slightly behind her and to the right. Alanna twisted around to see Sans standing behind the couch hands resting casually on the back. "one second all i see is paps covered in red with a strange human holding a knife, the next i have the kid screaming at me."

"You were outside," Alanna said feeling slightly dumb. The door didn't open, she knew that much. She was waiting for it.

"didn't think i was _flaking_ out, did ya?"

"I-" Alanna closed her eyes feeling overwhelmed all at once.

"thing is," Sans said slowly walking around the couch, "i haven't seen you before. i don't know you, but anyone who messes with my brother," he came to a stop in front of Alanna the lights that were his eyes blacked out, "is in for a **bad time**."

Alanna felt the same fear rise from before, but she had already tried running away. Determination shot through her body bringing forward a strength she didn't realize she possessed.

"Really?" Alanna's voice felt as dead as Sans' eyes. "After everything that happened, you're still going to threaten me?" A rush of heat even though her body felt frozen. "What sort of asshat are you?" Alanna instantly regretted that.

Sans watched her with black eyes for about a half second before he barked out a startled laugh. Just like that the pinpricks of light were back and focused on her. "yeah i guess you're right." He said amicably. "we really did get off on the wrong foot. any chance for a do-over?"

"I listened to you, I hope that you'll do the same for me." Alanna said softly. Sans inclined his head so she glanced down to her hands with a deep breath. "I fell down here not too long ago. From what I've seen the Monsters here aren't so bad. In fact, the only Monster who's attacked me down here….is you."

As Alanna spoke Sans' eyes seemed to zero in on her, and she felt suddenly drawn out as if she were being weighed and measured. Then just like that, the feeling was gone, leaving Alanna wondering what she had planned on saying next.

"I judge people on their actions." She continued feeling odd. "So far, you don't deserve a second chance. Pardon me if I don't take you to heart right away….you did try to kill me….I think."

"you think?" Sans asked sounding genuinely curious.

"It's hard to remember really. It's blurry, like I'm seeing it through a haze."

Sans took a step back, leaving a bit more space between the two of them. "i guess i'll just have to prove myself. the kid has already taken a shine to you, and i don't think it's just because you're a human. be careful. not everything in the underground is what it seems."

There was a very large pause. "hey," Sans said breaking the silence, "do me a favor."

"A favor?"

"i know i don't deserve it, but my bro really hates conflict in the house. could you let him think we made up, at least a little bit?"

Alanna already found herself nodding. It made complete sense that Papyrus would hate conflict among his friends. She could fake it, for him.

"thanks. i owe ya one." Sans said his gaze lingering on her for a few seconds. "you can come out bro," he called louder than normal, "the human and i are ok now."

"OH GOOD!" Papyrus said bounding in with a heap of blankets in his arms. "ALANNA HUMAN, I HAVE BROUGHT YOU BLANKETS. MY SHIRT IS NOT ENOUGH TO GO OUTSIDE IN!" He chastised her directly before he dumped the pile of blankets on her. They were room temperature but to Alanna's ice-chilled skin they were wonderfully warm.

"Yeah, I wasn't really thinking when I did." She said sinking into the pile. "Thank you Papyrus." Alanna tried her best to ignore the slight panic that was so prevalent when Sans was nearby, but it was difficult to say the least.

"DO NOT WORRY ALANNA HUMAN! SOME SPAGETTI SHOULD WARM YOU UP!" Once again she heard the strange bouncing music as Papyrus bounded into the kitchen, leaving her alone with his brother.

Again.

Alanna kept her gaze fixed on the covers surrounding her taking in the way complex way the thread was weaved.

"not one for talking, huh?" Sans said after a minute. There was a sudden shift of weight on the couch and Alanna non-discreetly scrambled to the other side. Sans unabashedly stared at her, taking her in from the way she clutched the blankets around herself to the way her eyes betrayed her fear.

"Your brother, he's sweet." Alanna ground out after a few tense minutes of silence.

"yeah, my brother's pretty cool. been that way since we were baby bones." Sans replied easily.

"Has he always had this obsession?"

From the corner of her vision she saw Sans slowly turn to look at her. Without any real effort on his part the room seemed colder. "the one with humans?"

"No, I meant the spaghetti one." She corrected holding back a shiver.

"oh," in an instant the darker atmosphere lifted, "no, this was more recent. undyne did that." Sans chuckled and it was a strangely warm sound from someone so terrifying to Alanna.

"Undyne, I've heard her name before."

"UNDYNE IS ONE OF THE COOLEST MONSTERS IN THE UNDERGROUND, EXCLUDING MYSELF." Papyrus said leaning out of the kitchen. "SHE'S THE CAPTIAN OF THE ROYAL GUARD!"

"There's a royal guard? Wait….there's royalty?" Alanna asked Papyrus instantly glad. Despite how loud his voice was, he was beginning to become a balm to her nerves.

"YOU HAVEN'T HEARD OF KING ASGORE?"

Alanna laughed the smallest bit. "Seeing as I've been here about two days I haven't really gotten into the politics of the underground just yet." What Alanna didn't reveal was that she knew that name. It was the same name Toriel uttered in dread, certain that this king was going to kill Frisk.

"he's a softie _fur_ sure. but the big guy can hold his own."

"SANS!" Papyrus groaned leaning against the doorway dramatically.

" _tibia_ honest i thought that was _humerous_." There was a large crack as Papyrus knocked his head against the doorframe in pun-agony.

"They're _punny_ in their own way." A smile crept onto Alanna's face as she joined in.

"NOT YOU TOO!" Papyrus exclaimed in despair. Alanna giggled.

"What's wrong Papryus?" Alanna asked with fake sincerity. "Can't take the _pun_ ishment?"

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND!" Papyrus stated staring at Alanna with a mischievous look. "BUT NOW I SEE YOU'RE AN _IMPASTA_! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Alanna burst into laughter as Papyrus slid back into the kitchen, the bouncing music following. Alanna's laughter trailed off after a moment or two.

"nice jokes, kid." Sans said sounding amused.

"I'm 23, and thanks."

Papyrus came bounding back out with a large plate of spaghetti balanced on one hand. "HERE, ALANNA HUMAN, THIS SHOULD HELP!" He said excitedly before handing her the plate and a fork. The spaghetti smelled rather good, but when Alanna got a good look at it her fork stopped dead between the plate and her mouth.

"Umm…"

"WHAT'S WRONG, ALANNA HUMAN?"

Alanna twisted the spaghetti on her fork this way and that. "Is that….glitter?" Large and small chunks of red glitter were thrown into the sauce creating a very beautiful display, but not a very appetizing one.

"OF COURSE! A GREAT PASTA CHEF LIKE MYSELF KNOWS THAT GLITTER MAKES THE BEST SPAGHETTI!" Papyrus' chest puffed out at that. He then leaned forwards, hope swelling into his eyes as he waited for Alanna to try his 'specialty'.

Alanna heard Sans chuckle under his breath, which only strengthened her resolve. With a deep breath she forced the bite into her mouth, attempting not to wince as the glitter crunched between her teeth. It felt like eating sand. Very pretty sand. After a few more valiant attempts at chewing she swallowed the mess before forcing a pleased expression.

The facial training that broadcast journalism taught did Alanna well, because Papyrus beamed like the sun at her expression. "AS YOU CAN SEE I AM THE FINEST PASTA CHEF AROUND!"

"You are," Alanna said trying to ignore the horrible scratch of glitter in her throat. "Thank you! I feel much warmer already. In fact I'm kinda tired…can I use your bathroom before I go back to sleep?"

"bathroom's over there, kid." Sans said smiling smugly while gesturing to a door off to the left of the t.v. and the kitchen.

"Thanks." Alanna said pushing the blankets to the side. She hurried to the bathroom and shut the door still smiling at Papyrus. She then proceeded to start gagging and coughing as the gritty sensation overwhelmed her. She ran the tap and tried her best to swish and gargle the glitter out, but it still took a few minutes before her stomach finally settled into an uneasy peace.

Alanna leaned heavily against the sink staring warily at herself. There were very dark circles underneath her golden eyes which gave her a haunted look. Her hair was still a shock of red that surrounded her face like a mane, but it was even more matted than before and a few of the ends seemed to be clumped together with a darker looking stuff. The black shirt hung off of her small frame, one shoulder was trying it's hardest to slip off of one shoulder. A slight lift of the shirt revealed the still pink and splotchy mark on her stomach along with the unhealed scratches from her fall. Her arms and hands fared no better. At least her leg hadn't bothered her again.

Alanna sighed and let the shirt drop, making a note to ask where her clothes had gotten to tomorrow. One deep breath later and she was pushing the bathroom door back open. Papyrus had been busy while she was away. He had cleaned her plate and straightened the covers. Sans was exactly where she had left him. He tilted his head slightly towards Alanna the pinpricks of light that were his eyes training on her face. She shifted uncomfortably for a moment.

"hey," Sans' smile shifted slightly though what it meant Alanna couldn't decipher. "you can keep sleeping in my room if ya want."

"That was your room?" Goosebumps broke out across her skin at the thought.

"yeah, frisk shares a room with paps, and we don't have much room so i just gave you mine. i slept on the couch."

"I'd rather sleep on the couch."

"you sure?"

"Yeah." Her response was clipped and left no room for arguments. Sans didn't argue. He simply shrugged and pushed himself up from the cushions, a large jangling sound accompanying the motion.

"lemme know if you _change_ your mind." He said with a wink. Then he went up the stairs and into his room. Almost instantly strange flickering and liquid seeming lights began to creep from underneath the door. Alanna resolved not to mention or think about it.

"DO YOU NEED ANYTHING ELSE ALANNA HUMAN?" Papyrus asked coming out of the kitchen.

"Do you have a pillow I could use?" She asked glancing at the couch.

"WE WILL HAVE TO ACQUIRE YOU ONE TOMORROW. I CAN SHOW YOU SNOWDIN!" Papyrus said rubbing his head. "YOU MAY USE MY PILLOW IF YOU WISH."

"I think I can last a night without one. Anyway I bet Frisk is missing you right now."

"YOU ARE RIGHT, ALANNA HUMAN!" Papyrus began to move to the stairs. "GOODNIGHT."

Alanna waited until she could hear the door to Papyrus' room close before she moved to settle down on the couch. It was lumpy now that she was laying on it. The couch gently jingled every time she shifted, so Alanna took the time to remove the cushions and gather the coins onto a side table before laying down again.

That made the couch a bit more inhabitable. With a few of the blankets that Papyrus left her Alanna wrapped herself up and slowly drifted off into an exhausted sleep.


	11. Static

Static

Flashes of blue.

A slash of red.

Then static drowning out the pain. Static drowning out everything.

Alanna was in a grey room, that felt faded and forgotten by the world. Something was staring at her. She couldn't quite make it out. There was so much static, like something was screaming at her. Willing itself to be recognized. A single unending, heart-wrenching screech to be heard.

To be remembered.

"I hear you," Alanna said to the greyness. "I don't understand, but I hear you."

The static dimmed slightly, and something flickered in the corner of the room. The thing she couldn't make out before. She was surprised she had forgotten it was there. The longer she tried to make out what the creature was, the more frequently strange symbols began to flash across her vision. Over and over in the same pattern.

The world she was in shifted. Folded and twisted in on itself. It was collapsing. The symbols became bolder, more real than the grey room. Then, all at once, Alanna understood what they stood for.

W. D. Gaster.

There was a shift of weight, and Alanna bolted upright a small scream of terror ripping out of her. In an instant Frisk was climbing into her lap frantically signing 'sorry'.

"No, no, it's fine." Alanna mumbled not quite feeling connected to the world.

W. D. Gaster. The words whispered in her mind reminding her of the strange dream. The symbols flashing ever frantically as the dream collapsed in on itself. It didn't feel like a message…it felt like a name. An introduction.

"you all right, kid? you look like you've seen a ghost." Sans' voice sounded from the stairs. Alanna glanced up and instantly flinched away from his gaze. She wasn't ready to face him quite yet. Instead Alanna just wrapped her arms around Frisk and let herself tip back over until she and Frisk were laying back down.

The quiet giggle that Frisk let out was enough to make Alanna relax the smallest bit. It was a sweet sound. Innocent.

"Maybe I did." Alanna answered pressing her face into Frisk's hair.

A few light taps and Alanna leaned up slightly, letting Frisk disengage themselves from the stranglehold they had been trapped in. " _Good morning_ ," Frisk signed brightly.

"Good morning." Alanna yawned. "Where's Papyrus?" If Papyrus was awake she would have heard him by now, and Alanna didn't peg Papyrus as a late riser.

" _He left this morning. You slept later than Sans!_ " Frisk gave Alanna a crooked smile. " _You must have been tired!"_

Alanna blearily blinked at the child's exuberance not quite ready to handle it. "I'm guessing I slept late." She mumbled pulling herself up into a sitting position with her cover still helplessly twisted around her body. "I'm sorry, I'm not meaning to impose."

Frisk began to adamantly shake their head, but Alanna ignored it.

"I can't stay here much longer, it's not my home." Alanna said to Frisk gently, she then turned to Sans. "If I could just get my clothes I can get out of your hair…." A small realization. "Out of your way." She amended.

"woah. slow down," Sans said walking over to sit in-between Alanna and Frisk. His eye-lights were trained on Alanna's face. "you're not imposing on anyone. where would you go anyway? the underground is sealed away from the human world."

"What?"

Frisk's confusion almost outshone Alanna's own. " _You didn't know?"_ Their nose scrunched up in the most adorable way. " _You lived above, how could you have not heard the stories? How did Mom not tell you?"_

"you met the kid's mom?" Sans asked his eyes flicking between the two of you.

Alanna sighed and rolled her neck, hearing a few soft pops as she did so. Sans stiffened a bit at the sound. "Well, I'm not from Ebott. I actually just moved there for a job." The more awake Alanna became the more uncomfortable she felt as she realized Sans was sitting close enough to touch her. "She didn't tell me much." Alanna shrugged. "She was super worried about you, so I volunteered to find you."

" _She can't be worried about me,"_ a petulant look settled on Frisk's face, " _I tried to call her, but she wouldn't ever answer. She gave up on me. She's always given up on me."_

Alanna laughed, which was the wrong thing to do. Frisk seemed to close up almost instantly their eyes going to rest on their feet. "Hey," Alanna said quickly, "I'm not laughing because you think that she abandoned you." Frisk's eyes met hers with the smallest trace of hope. "I was laughing because the reason she hasn't picked up, is because some dog stole her phone. Though how a dog stole a phone is beyond me…" Alanna said under her breath.

Frisk's laugh was clear as a bell and heartwarming. Where Alanna was fixated on Frisk, she could see that Sans was just as fixated on her. Alanna wished he would stop staring at her. It unnerved her to have his attention in the slightest.

Frisk calmed down and then glanced up as if in thought. Then with hands so quick that they almost blurred together Frisk explained. " _A long time ago monsters lived on the Surface along with humans. Something happened, I don't know what, which caused them to fight. The war lasted for a very long time, but humans defeated the monsters in the end. Seven human wizards locked all of the monsters here, underground, with a thing called the barrier. You can't break it unless you use seven human souls."_ Alanna zoned in to the quick and precise movements. " _Or, a monster can absorb a single human soul and cross the barrier. We could absorb a monster's soul, but it has to be a boss monster because normal monster souls are too weak to survive outside of their bodies for very long."_ Frisk's hands stilled their eyes drilling into Alanna's own. " _To absorb a soul you have to kill the monster."_

Alanna couldn't help but flinch back slightly from the information. She was stuck down here unless she killed a monster? Or they killed her? Toriel was right, they were in danger. How long had the monsters been down here? How badly did they want to leave?

" _Could you do it?"_ Their hands moved a bit differently than before. Frisk, for a moment, didn't look like Frisk. Alanna swore she saw red eyes.

"No." It was the truth. Alanna could fight back if she needed to, but to kill someone was something entirely different. If it came down to it she wasn't sure she could kill to save herself, let alone just to get out of somewhere.

Just like that Frisk smiled, almost forcefully, the red Alanna thought she saw fading back into deep brown. " _I like you."_ They signed almost forcefully. The 'I' seemed stressed, as if they were saying that for someone else's sake rather than Alanna's own.

"see?" Sans said instantly bringing himself back into Alanna's awareness. She had been so intent on Frisk that she had forgotten his presence entirely. Alanna automatically moved away, shying into the blankets. "might as well stay here. the kid likes ya, and so does my bro." He didn't even mention the fact that she had no actual way out of the underground, and that the rest of the monsters might hunt her down just for her soul.

God, this place really was terrifying.

" _Papyrus would be sad if you left._ " Frisk signed.

Alanna closed her eyes and sighed sinking further into the blankets. She was sure that by this point she was only a face among them. "Okay." No one else decided to speak to her, and the t.v. clicked on the same upbeat song playing from before.

The situation she was in finally hit Alanna. There was a long span of time where Sans and Frisk talked. At some point she heard Frisk ask quietly if Alanna had fallen back asleep, and Alanna let them think that. There was a slam, and Alanna hardly had the time to register that she had shot off the couch before Papyrus was already talking.

"ALANNA HUMAN!" He paused seeing her standing and a grin settled on his face despite the fear that was coursing through Alanna. Why was she so jumpy? She usually didn't jump at every sound. Hell, she played horror games more than any other genre. "OH GOOD, YOU'RE UP! GET READY, ALANNA HUMAN, FOR A WONDERFUL DAY OF PUZZLES, JAPES, AND SNOW AWAITS YOU!"

Alanna forced herself to relax and smile at the exuberant skeleton. "I need clothes first."

"OH DEAR," Papyrus wrung his gloved hands together, "YOUR CLOTHES WERE RUINED."

"i got this." Sans slowly pushed himself up. Alanna moved back when he passed, which didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. There was the sound of heavy footsteps up the stairs, a door opening, and after a moment a couple of articles of clothing landed on Alanna's head.

A pair of basketball shorts, which looked a bit large, along with a white shirt. "OH GOOD!" Papyrus went to sit on the couch. "YOU GO CHANGE, THEN OUR DAY CAN BEGIN!"

How could Alanna protest?

The bathroom felt more crowded than before. Alanna pulled the large shirt off only to replace it with another. At least her underthings had been left on her. This new shirt at least hung off of her a bit less than Papyrus'. The shorts fit, if only just. They sat low on her hips, if one could see that underneath the shirt. Alanna threw the used shirt into a laundry basket that was surprisingly full. When she headed back out Sans was already sitting with Papyrus and Frisk on the couch, with Alanna's shoes sitting off to the side of the bathroom door along with her socks. At least there was that.

"COME ALONG ALANNA!" Papyrus said quite literally as soon as she got both shoes on. Gloved hands pulled her up. There was a bit of nostalgia to the motion. Alanna had been pulled up like this all her life, her father had always tugged her off the floor in the exact same way. "WE HAVE THINGS TO DO!"

On the way out of the door Alanna snagged the coat that Toriel had given her. She pulled it on just as a gust of cold air brushed over her arms. Snowdin was beautiful.

Alanna had been dragged to states where it would actually snow, but there was something magical about the fat flakes that drifted from the dark cavern above. A few of the flakes gently brushed against Alanna's upturned face.

"THIS IS THE SENIC 'MY HOUSE'!" Papyrus said sweeping his hand towards the cozy-looking home of the skeleton brothers. "YOUR HOUSE NOW! OVER HERE IS THE LIBRARBY," he said walking to the right. Alanna wrapped her jacket around her more tightly and began to follow Papyrus walking along the trail he was leaving in the snow. Librarby….that sounded awfully wrong….but that _is_ what the sign said. The mere fact that they had a typo on the library sign was enough to make her start to giggle.

Alanna knew in that moment that the day was going to be a good one.

The light was dim by the time Papyrus declared that it was time to go home. At the shop he had gotten her a pillow which he now held under his arm.

"You go on home; I'll be there in just a bit. I think I need some time alone." Alanna said stopping in the middle of the path.

"ARE YOU SURE ALANNA HUMAN?"

Alanna nodded even though her heart fluttered at the thought of a monster catching her out alone. Papyrus had become a form of protection at this point, but Alanna knew that she needed this alone time. She needed to be able to think.

"BE HOME SOON," Papyrus said after watching her for a moment. "BE CAREFUL, HUMAN." He then slowly turned to head back to the house.


	12. Snowfall

Snowfall

As soon as Papyrus was far enough away Alanna turned around and began her quiet journey. The world seemed to be held in a moment of silence as she trudged through the ankle-deep snow. The shorts were long enough that only the smallest bit of her shins were actually exposed to the cold, and she lost feeling in those particular areas of her body after a few hours of following Papyrus.

Alanna passed out of town and came across a large rope bridge which she hardly remembered from her first meeting with Papyrus. The drop made her stomach lurch and she spent a few moments in the approximate middle of the bridge looking down into the darkness below.

"What do I do?" She asked the drop. The rope creaked and swayed slightly, but there was no answer. A sigh and she continued on. The light finally gave way into the strange twilight that was the underground night.

There was a familiar field with a guard-house in the middle. Snow-poffs littered the ground, and Alanna carefully avoided stepping on any of them. Past the snow covered field was a long stretch of ice that easily slid Alanna through, the trees above her dumped snow onto Alanna's head causing her to yelp. The ice continued to move her forwards, almost as if it had a consciousness of its own. She shook her head vigorously only to end up slipping and slamming into the ice. It burned, but still slid her on until it dumped her into the snow on the other side of the ice-field puzzle. It took her a minute to get up.

Alanna found herself humming slightly as she walked. It hadn't occurred to her that she had lost the will to sing for some time now. In fact, she hadn't sung since college, with her friends.

Her former friends.

She found a song pouring out as she traveled along, filling the silence with song. "He stumbled into faith and thought…" The wind blew sharply around her, but surprisingly it didn't sting. "God this is all there is."

A larger sentry stand stood in the cold night air. "The pictures in his mind arose and began, to breathe," for the barest moment Alanna swore she could see a figure in the guard house, "and all the gods in all the worlds began colliding on a backdrop of blue." As long as the monster didn't bother her she didn't feel the need to investigate, and she let her eyes slip past.

"Blue lips. Blue veins." She sang almost sure that her own lips had turned blue at this point. Her mind conjured up the hazy image of Sans. One blue eye set in a smiling face. "He took a step but then felt tired," Alanna forced her voice to strengthen in order to combat the sudden air-stealing fear that was attempting to consume her.

"He said, 'I'll rest a little while,' but when he tried to walk again he wasn't a child." She began to walk over the grey-scale grid that she was sure Papyrus set up. "And all the people hurried fast, real fast, and no one ever smiled…" That reminded her of Ebbot, it was a rather large town where people hustled past without a second glance at someone like her.

"Blue lips. Blue veins," Alanna still had the feeling she was being watched as she headed towards a puzzle that she realized looked like Papyrus' face, "Blue, the color of our planet from far far away. Blue lips. Blue veins. Blue, the color of our planet from far far away."

Her voice echoed to her slightly, a lonely tune in a frozen world. A lonely person. "He stumbled into faith and thought: god this is all there is." Maybe this really was all there was. She was trapped here unless she thought of a way out.

Could she really kill someone? "The pictures in his mind arose and began to breathe." She knew she didn't want to, but the question was could she. The song poured on without real thought on her part, her mind spinning faster and faster.

"And no one saw and no one heard," her voice shook with repressed emotion, "They just followed the lead. The pictures in his mind awoke, and began to breed."

A flash of eyes glowing in the darkness. Alanna was too far gone in her own head to really notice. "They started off beneath the knowledge tree, and they chopped it down to make a picket fence. And marching along the railroad tracks they smiled real wide for the camera lens."

She tried to imagine the sensation. She tried to imagine watching the life leave from a stranger's eyes. "As they made it past the enemy lines," the stranger's eyes shifted into hate-hardened eyes in her mind, "just to become enslaved in the assembly lines." She knew the answer to the question, and she felt hope drain within her.

The large slatted gate passed above her. Alanna hadn't realized how quickly she had been moving through the darkness.

"Blue lips. Blue veins."

No. She couldn't kill someone. It wasn't within her, the very thought made the core of her being flinch away.

"Blue, the color of our planet from far far away."

How would she survive in this world? They wanted her very soul, and it was made abundantly clear that no one would stop wanting that.

"Blue lips. Blue veins. Blue, the color of our planet from far far away." Toriel's door, the door to the Ruins, lay in front of her large and imposing. "Blue," she sang her voice rising and cascading, the door echoed her song back to her in her own voice, "the most human color."

"Blue," Alanna's voice began to quiet her hand reaching out to press against the door. She wanted Toriel to be there. She knocked as hard as she dared against the large door and waited.

"The most human color. Blue," her voice rose again, "the most human color." Why was she singing? What point was there? She slammed her hand into the door this time, crying out when she felt her knuckles split against the door.

But no one came.

She turned to face the empty landscape, her back against the door, injured hand cradled to her chest. She slid and landed with a small plop into the snow. The cold hurt and pushed through the short's fabric easily. The unfinished song felt worse than the cold.

At least she could control this.

"Blue lips. Blue veins. Blue, the color of our planet from far far away." The last strains of her voice stretched out in the dark. She hung her head and simply sat.

Trapped underground.

She tried to wrap her head around it. Accept it. But her mind kept supplying her with little interrupting thoughts. What would happen with her job? She had just started to gain popularity as a radio personality. Things had been looking up in her career.

Alanna's parents had to notice at some point. She had made it a point to call every few weeks to check up on them. What would they do? Would they think she was dead? Alanna couldn't imagine the how horrible it would be for them.

There was the smallest sound of shifting snow. Alanna glanced up, but there was nothing there. Just a flower a few feet away near the tree-line. She let her gaze fall back to the snow at her feet.

"Howdy!" The voice was higher-pitched and Alanna jerked up and slammed herself backward into the door. The large yellow flower near the tree-line had a face. "Oh!" The flower said eyes wide it's little leaves wiggling slightly.

The flower had a face.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare ya!" It said with a hesitant smile. "I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower!"

Monsters were all shapes and sizes, so Alanna supposed that this was just another monster. A friendly one by the sound of it.

"It's okay," she said forcing herself to relax, "I'm Alanna, nice to meet you."

"You must be new to the underground! I haven't seen you before." Flowey said slightly swaying as if in a gentle breeze.

"I've only been here three days." She confirmed.

"Golly!" The ground underneath the flower began to shift and almost seem to boil, mixing light brown earth and snow. Flowey seemed to glide through the earth a little closer to Alanna. "You must be so confused."

"Actually, it hasn't been that bad…" Other than the fact that she had been broken and impaled a couple of times within a few days. Not to mention she now lived with the same person who impaled her, and was trapped in a strange land with murder being the only clear way out.

Flowey watched her for a moment and Alanna could hear the faintest strains of lighthearted music. "So, you're a human." Alanna felt herself stiffen up at the accusation. It was true, but it was also supposed to be a death sentence down here. Flowey chuckled at the action, and something about his laughter made Alanna shiver. "Oh don't worry," the flower trilled, "you're _much_ more interesting alive right now!"


	13. Flowey

Alanna pushed herself up, and realized that she had been sitting in the snow for far too long. Her legs almost gave underneath her as she scrambled to get away from the flower.

"Wait where are you going?" The voice should have sounded shocked, but it sounded dark. Amused.

"I'm going home," Alanna said without any real thought. She tried to inch away, but felt a familiar pull at the center of her chest.

"Don't you know?" Flowey's grin stretched and twisted into something truly monstrous. "You can _never_ go home!"

The world flickered black.

Alanna's consciousness split and she watched as the snow reflected the glow of her soul. Flowey fell quiet as he stared at her. The burnt orange options were away from her; it was Flowey's turn. There was no glow in his chest…. stem? Alanna wondered if that was normal.

"Your soul," Flowey breathed all malice gone from the flower's face.

Alanna instantly tried to cover her soul, but her it simply shined through her hands. Instantly a gentle protective warmth seemed to settle around her body. She watched in abject horror as the flower emitted a half circle of what looked to be spinning white seeds.

"Fighting isn't that hard," Flowey said eyes locked on her own, "in fact. It feels good. Don't you want to feel good?" The seeds shot out towards her, and she pushed herself to the side. Dodging the seeds was relatively easy for Alanna. If she wasn't terrified at the situation Alanna would have savored the feeling of flying. Instead she bit her lip as the options pulled back towards her.

 **| FIGHT | | ACT | | ITEM | | MERCY |**

Alanna lightly reached out, and chose to talk.

"Flowey, why are you doing this? You said yourself that I was too interesting to kill right now." The options fell away from her as Flowey stared into her soul.

"You idiot!" He sneered more seeds forming in a spinning formation around his head. "Do you really think that Her tactics are going to work?" The way Flowey said 'her' seemed torn between reverent and hateful. "What happens when you come against someone you can't talk down?" The seeds went darting towards Alanna, faster than before. She hardly had the time to move before one skimmed her shin leaving what felt like a trail of acid in it's wake.

Blood splattered to the ground, but the burning feeling quickly dimmed. Alanna wondered if the cold was helping in any aspect, but she could hardly feel the frigid air. Beyond Flowey the snow-covered landscape faded into pitch black.

Flowey was laughing, a twisted and mangled sound that jumped octaves without any warning. "Don't you want to go home?"

She did.

"Of course I do," Alanna said glancing down at her glowing soul.

"Then fight," Flowey's voice dipped into a demonic bass, "that's the only way you can get out."

Flowey was right, but she couldn't stomach the thought. Alanna's soul was shedding that beautiful moving light. It reminded her of a coal, but brighter, slower. There had to be some way to do get out without harming anyone. If getting to the surface meant changing herself on a fundamental level Alanna would happily choose to rot down here.

Alanna was filled with Determination.

"Just let me go."

"Wrong answer," he laughed sounding manic, "but you'll learn. They all do eventually. Even if it means you die," the word sent a stab of panic through Alanna's mind, "over and Over and OVER AGAIN."

A ring of seeds spawned around Alanna slowly moving in towards her. They were everywhere. Flowey was laughing the grating sound of it working its way underneath Alanna's skin. Alanna began to reach towards her own form of magic, but the seeds suddenly stopped still a foot away from her skin.

"How _interesting_!" Flowey crooned. Alanna followed his gaze to see Sans, standing casually out in the snow, hands in his pockets, eyes trained on Flowey. "Howdy!" The greeting felt cold and angry.

"heya."

"Alanna, I didn't know you spent your time with this smiling trash-bag!" Flowey didn't glance to her, but stared down Sans. The two seemed to be locked in some sort of staring contest.

Sans chuckled, but otherwise simply stood there calm and composed.

"Flowey," Alanna said quietly, "let me go."

The seeds inched ever closer as Flowey's attention returned to her. He giggled, eyes flickering to Sans every few seconds. "Even _he_ learned the lesson over and Over and OVER. Didn't you?"

Near Flowey, Sans' eyes became dark voids.

"Okay that's enough!" Alanna's voice rang out shattering the dark moment between the two. She then realized how terrifying it was to have the them turn to stare at her. "Um," she breathed her bravado gone, "can you just…not? Please let me go, and have this," she pauses, "whatever this is somewhere I'm not?"

"I was just playing!" Flowey said the attack suddenly disappearing and his name shifting into a bright yellow. Alanna felt her breath release as the turn shifted to her. "Be seein' ya!" Flowey quipped cheerily as Alanna decided to spare him.

 ***You Spare Flowey! You receive 0 EXP and 0 Gold!**

As soon as Flowey was spared the ground roiled beneath him before he shot into it, leaving the scene. Alanna's soul reunited with her body and she lost her breath at how cold she was. Her feet hit the ground, and her legs gave out slamming her into the snow. Her leg _burned._ Alanna gasped and struggled to pick herself up out of the snow.

"here." Sans was suddenly there helping Alanna up. She flinched away from the contact slamming into the Ruin doors attempting to get away from him. Sans' smile twisted slightly, and he stood back hands back in his hoodie.

"Sorry, I just…" Alanna was instantly fascinated with the blood that had trailed down her leg.

"you need help?" Sans took a small step towards Alanna. "pap was pretty worried about you when you didn't come back. you must be cold." He said eye-lights taking in her appearance.

"I'm fine." She said pulling her jacket tighter around herself. It didn't help. The colors around her seemed to have shifted and deepened. Even the snow was showing more color and life than it had before. Her blood stood stark against the white of the landscape, looking more like ink than the darker substance that it was.

"you don't look it," Sans took another slow step forward, almost treating Alanna like a wounded animal. "howsabout this?" Another step. Alanna knew that Sans was taller than her, but most of the time he seemed so short. She supposed it was because of his brother.

Papyrus was so tall.

"we can take a shortcut back to the house. that way paps won't have to see you worse than this." Sans was only worried because of Papyrus. The realization hit Alanna and left her staring at the skeleton dumbly. Of course Sans would be here because of that.

"I'm fine," Alanna said shrugging away his offer. She attempted to walk past Sans, but he seemed to still be in front of her even though she swore that she had just been walking past him.

"you've been nothing but trouble since my bro brought you in. even the kid doesn't come home ruffed-up every day." Sans took a step forward. Alanna held her ground. "papyrus is already attached to you, and you getting hurt constantly is hurting him." She could hear the threat in his voice.

"Let's get something straight." Determination burned through Alanna. How dare he threaten her when he was the one to hurt her in the first place? What sort of twisted logic did he run on? "You don't get to police my movement because you love your brother. Just remember that you were the one who attacked me, not the other way around."

"my bro will worry himself sick over you."

Alanna laughed as a darker thought struck her. Sans went deathly still. "Have you ever heard the term victim-blaming?" Sans still didn't move, but somehow she knew that she had caught him off-guard. "Victim-blaming is exactly as it sounds. You take an incident…like being attacked," she said sharply her eyes locking onto his eye-lights, "and instead of blaming the aggressor, the one who chose to attack the other person, you blame the victim. It can come in many forms." Anger had reduced her voice to a low growl.

"wait-"

"You blame the victim because they were wearing a certain type of clothing. Or that they were walking alone. The problem with this logic is that the victim did not commit the act. The aggressor did."

"hang on, kid. i'm not saying it's your fault." Sans said holding his hands up in a peace-making gesture.

"And yet you're blaming me for Papyrus worrying about me…because I get beat up too much."

Sans breathed out, a strangely impressed sound. "damn," he muttered running a hand over his head. "you got me there."

Damn right I do, Alanna thought harshly. At this point, however, the fire of Alanna's anger and determination was being stolen by the cold. She really had made a stupid decision wandering out in the snow for so long.

"can we at least get you out of the cold?"

Alanna instantly shook her head, starting to move past Sans. She might have wanted to get home faster, but her pride was refusing the help from someone who didn't really care about her.

"don't freeze out here just because you're pissed at me." His tone had softened. "what good will that do? paps and the kid would be furious, and trust me, you don't want that." Another long pause. Alanna's feet started to go numb. "i can convince him to make spaghetti without the glitter."

Alanna felt her body give in before her mind. She let out a long-suffering sigh. "Fine," she said turning back towards the skeleton. His smile seemed to brighten considerably.

"pretty _metal_ of ya' to keep that bite down." He said holding out a hand. As much as she didn't want to, Alanna laughed at the pun. She placed her hand in his, and was instantly surprised by the warmth. Alanna didn't really realize that she had made a sound until he began to chuckle, looking down at her hand in his. "you're like ice, kid." His other hand came to rest over the top of her hand, enclosing it in warmth.

Alanna wanted to shy away, but the movement was so gentle and calculated that she found herself leaning slightly into him instead. "I've been out here a while." She found herself saying tiredly.

"yeah, I noticed." Sans said letting go only to grab her other hand to enfold into the warmth. "what were you doin' this far away from snowdin anyways?"

"The Ruins," Alanna said turning to look at the door. "I came back. I was hoping…" She trailed off sighing heavily. "I wanted to go back, if only for a minute."

"why?"

Alanna bit her lip. "I don't know. I guess I wanted to talk to her."

"she's the one who gave you this, huh?" Alanna's gaze was drawn back to Sans as he let go with one hand and reached into his hoodie pocket. There was a small metallic sound as he tugged a necklace out into the open air. Not just a necklace, _the_ necklace that Toriel had given Alanna before she sent her off. Alanna took a step back tugging her hands away.

Alanna stared at the object. She had noticed that the necklace had been missing while lying awake on the couch the first night. It had saddened her, but the little object hadn't seemed important before now. She reached out and Sans dumped the necklace into her palm.

There was no hesitation as Alanna clasped it back around her neck. "You found it." Alanna herself was not sure if her voice grateful or accusatory.

"yeah," Sans shifted uncomfortably, "the kid wanted to wash it. there was a lotta blood. i was supposed ta' give it back…"

Alanna took a deep breath and pushed away her anger. It wouldn't help to be pissed off at him. It was obvious that he didn't trust her and she knew that she didn't trust him. She would have to learn to live with it, or in this case, ignore it.


	14. shortcut

"Thanks." She avoided his gaze and touched the necklace instead. She wasn't sure why it felt so important, but Toriel had given it to her. There had to be some reason. "You said you knew a shortcut?"

"uh, yeah." Sans held out his hand again, his eyes searching her own. Alanna took his hand without hesitation or complaint. "it's just this way." He tugged lightly on her hand walking toward the densely packed trees.

Alanna's legs wouldn't quite work as she stumbled along behind Sans. He kept glancing back to her as they began to weave their way through the trunks. Alanna suddenly lost her breath and stumbled forwards, the world spinning around her wildly. She hardly had the time to realize she was falling before Alanna was being cradled in Sans' arms.

"woah," Sans himself looked surprised that he had caught her. "don't worry, kid, it's only a bit further." He said gently as he put her back on her feet. Whatever had caused the dizziness had passed, and Alanna steadied.

"I'm fine."

Alanna took Sans' outstretched hand once more and they continued moving through the trees. It was only a few moments more until they broke out into the open again. Alanna stopped almost instantly as she recognized the outskirts of Snowdin.

"How?"

"it's called a _short_ cut for a reason." Sans said with a wink. She dropped his hand. Alanna wanted nothing more than to wipe that perpetual grin off of his face. She, instead, trudged past him moving through the town as quickly as she dared.

The door was unlocked and swung open easily, revealing Frisk and Papyrus already getting up from the couch smiles on their faces. The heat was almost unbearable, but she couldn't let them think anything was wrong.

"Hey guys!" Alanna called cheerily.

"ALANNA HUMAN, YOU HAVE RETURNED!" Papyrus said bounding to her. She was pulled up and smothered in a hug before she could blink. "HOW WAS YOUR WALK?"

"Good!" Alanna said attempting not to yelp at the burning sensation that everything caused. Papyrus, seemingly satisfied with his hug, gently placed her back on the ground. Alanna smiled and turned towards the couch just to have a small force slam into her stomach. Her smile grew as she crouched to hug Frisk.

" _I played with Monster Kid today!"_ They signed as they tugged her over to the couch. " _You're really cold."_ Frisk said pushing her into the cushions.

"Oh, I'm fine." She said/signed, but Frisk was having none of it. Blankets were dumped on her in a fashion that could only be described as Papyrus' doing.

"YOU SHOULD BE MORE CAREFUL. THE FRISK HUMAN TOLD ME THAT THE COLD CAN HURT HUMANS."

"Yeah, it's called hypothermia." Alanna said not bothering to cover her shivers now. "You can also get frost-bite."

"FROST BITE?"

Alanna laughed. "Yeah, if my fingers or toes start looking funny colored…..they might die because of the cold."

That was, in fact, the wrong thing to say to Papyrus.

The next few minutes consisted of Alanna trying to console a frantic Papyrus as he ripped off her gloves and shoes looking for anything abnormal. Alanna decided to simply let him inspect every finger and toe as she sat laughing.

"Paps, I'm fine." She said soothingly. He seemed to relax at that as if finally hearing her. It was then Alanna realized she had used Sans' pet name for him.

"ARE YOU SURE?"

Alanna smiled and took his hand, which instantly created an orange glow in his cheeks. Was Papyrus….blushing? "Yes, I promise that I'm fine. Just a little cold nothing more."

"WHAT ABOUT YOUR HANDS?" He asked holding it up to show the bloodied knuckles of her dominant hand.

"Oh, that." She said flexing her injured hand. "I fell when walking on the ice." The lie fell naturally and Papyrus was instantly lecturing on the proper precautions when around ice. Alanna was hardly surprised when Frisk climbed into her lap to watch the latest Mettaton movie. Papyrus planted himself next to the two of them, making sure that Alanna's covers didn't slip from her shoulders. Sans, who had come in amongst Papyrus freaking out about frost-bite sat on the opposite side of the couch from Alanna, watching the show and elbowing his brother every time he made some sort of pun.

Alanna was asleep before Mettaton met his monster love-interest.


	15. Waterfall

Waterfall

The next few days fell into a pattern. Papyrus would wake Alanna and Frisk up, making them breakfast spaghetti before heading out to train with the mysterious Undyne. Alanna was told firmly that she should wait to meet the leader of the royal guard because Undyne's opinion on humans was a bit…murdery. Sans would wake up a few hours after Papyrus had left making jokes with Frisk until Monster Kid would come knocking. Once Frisk was off playing, Sans would sit on the opposite side of the couch with Alanna in silence before heading out for his 'jobs'. Whatever those would be.

Alanna spent the first few days sitting quietly in the house until the others would come trickling back in. Frisk, Papyrus, and Alanna would watch Mettaton in whatever film or show was on that night. Sans sometimes would come in near the middle and sit with them. Other nights he never came through the door, only to show up the next morning from his room.

Alanna could hear Sans pacing at night. He seemed unable to sleep most of the time. She tried her best to ignore it, but something about the way he acted began to ring alarm bells in her head. Alanna herself was having difficulty sleeping. She often woke up drenched in sweat choking on dread and terror, the sound of static on the edge of her mind.

Sometimes…she swore she remembered a cracked face, but by the time her heart stopped racing the image would fade away. She still remembered the words though. The introduction.

W. D. Gaster.

After a few days of solitude Alanna decided to make small ventures into the town, finding the citizens of Snowdin to be a warm and happy people once they got over their fear of her. Alanna had been told by the shopkeeper, who was a very large tan bunny whose fur turned purple under certain lighting, to visit a place called Waterfall.

So that was where Alanna planned to head. Frisk had already left with Monster Kid, signing excitedly about visiting some place near the Core...wherever that was.

Sans was still about the house, but he hadn't come down from his room yet. She could hear footsteps every once in a while. He was pacing again. The door-handle had jiggled twice already. Alanna got ready quietly and headed out the door before Sans had even made it out of his room.

"Doesn't bother me one bit to avoid the awkward silence section of the morning." She muttered to herself, hefting her backpack a bit higher. She was still dressed in Sans' clothing, but at least she still had her own underclothing. The cold surrounded her legs in its unforgivable grip, but she would be used to it in a bit.

Alanna paused glancing around herself. Snow fell in large sluggish flakes from the shrouded cave ceiling above. The lights in Snowdin always seemed to be on, casting gold streaks in the snow near the snug little buildings. The wind teased and shaped the snow into small drifts that seemed to try and climb the buildings.

"Alanna!" A warm velvet laced voice bounced through the landscape. Alanna turned toward the sound and smiled when she spotted a familiar tan bunny monster emerging from her store. "Wait a sec!"

"Beatrix!" She said meeting the woman half-way. "I didn't expect to see you! I was just heading to Waterfall, like you suggested."

"You'll like it much better than Snowdin I think." She said good-naturedly. Beatrix reached out and lightly touched Alanna's hand. After the first hour or so of knowing Beatrix she had asked to touch Alanna's arm. She wanted to know what a human felt like. Beatrix hadn't really talked to Frisk that much outside of business. Alanna thought it was cute the way Beatrix's nose twitched as she ran her fuzzy fingers across Alanna's hands. "You must be so cold here all the time. Where are your gloves? You don't have fur like us."

"I didn't bring them today," Alanna shrugged.

Beatrix tsked reaching up to lightly touch her face. It was funny to Alanna that she had become so brave when she realized the scary human wasn't going to kill her. In fact, she seemed like the mom-friend by this point. Which was impressive seeing as Alanna had known her for a total of four days.

"Well, I thought I would bring you this." She said holding out a small wrapped package. She wrinkled her nose and a light blush tinted her cheeks. "Since you've been so nice."

"I just talked to you." Alanna watched the woman confused.

Beatrix lowered her head. "Yes, but we treated you so horribly."

"Being afraid isn't treating me horribly. It's being afraid. From what I've heard you have plenty of reason to be afraid of or even hate humans."

"We attack your kind simply because you are human…that makes us no better than the horrible people who trapped us down here." She said resolutely. "First Frisk, and now you. There have to be good humans as well as bad. Just like us."

There was a small chime, and then a smaller voice calling out across the icy landscape. "Mom! Customer!"

"Forgive me, duty calls." Beatrix said with one final hand-touch she was gone, hurrying back through the snow to her shop.

"Okay then," Alanna said unwrapping the little parchment. A pristine cinnamon bun sat in the crinkled paper, still putting off a bit of heat. Alanna smiled and quickly wrapped it back up, slinging her backpack around so that she could place it inside to keep her hands free.

Alanna set out going well out of town before she came upon a very foggy region. There was no seeing through the fog. Alanna steeled herself for whatever could lie in the mist and moved forward. After a few steps the cold began to lose its strength. A few more and Alanna was surprised to feel balmy air sweeping around her frozen legs. Alanna suddenly emerged from the fog, tendrils stretching still wrapped around her in a loving caress.

Sapphire light was diffused through the long passageway. Two small waterfalls cascaded further down her raised pathway. The pathway was situated between a river which was on her left and a bottomless pit to her right. The two waterfalls were pouring into the bottomless pit, the mist from them coating her skin and clothes. The rush of the water almost reminded her of hearing a large crowd speaking all at once. The snow under her feet was sloshy and she moved forward until the snow completely disappeared. The ground under-foot was a deep purple, just like the Ruins, but the blue light made everything look completely different. From her vantage point at the beginning of the path Alanna could pick out specs of glittering light blue from the walls, celling, and the floor ahead.

With a small huff Alanna slung the backpack off and sat it on the floor, shrugging out of her coat which was already trying to make her overheat. She folded it as best she could, and when she went to push it into her pack, it seemed significantly smaller than before.

"You're one strange coat." She murmured to it before zipping the backpack up and swinging it back onto her back. It felt amazing to be able to be outside without her coat. It almost reminded her of spring weather right before it shifted to summer.

Alanna took a deep breath, letting the taste of water and minerals spread over her tongue. The feeling of the dirt sliding underneath her shoes was a blissful respite from the crunch of snow. Alanna wandered down the hall, pausing to see if she could touch the waterfalls. With her toes on the edge of the very scary-looking bottomless pit she could let her fingers play in the stream. Compared to the warm temperature the water was refreshingly cool which struck Alanna as funny.

The glowing specks, Alanna realized, were tiny glowing crystals. She contemplated digging one up to keep as a souvenir but then decided against it. The tiny things were perfectly fine where they were.

Alanna moved away from the glowing rocks and continued forward, noting that the river took a turn off into darkness while she came across a small opening that had just enough room from the sentry station in the far corner.

An orange monster watched her with cautious eyes cowering in the corner across from the sentry station. A bright blue flower was in full bloom near the monster, looking like a certain golden flower but it was lacking a face. Alanna instantly felt herself freeze. She waited for the flickering that would herald their battle, but the monster simply watched her. A large waterfall buzzed underneath Alanna's feet, and came out rushing into the darkness from the floor about a foot from her. She slowly turned from the monster, hoping to relax it by focusing on the waterfall that roared near her feet.

"Hey," the monster spoke up suddenly causing Alanna to spin towards them. "You're…from the surface like that kid, right?"

"Yeah," Alanna said studying the new monster. The monster was a bit taller than Sans was, making them much taller than Alanna herself. They were aquatic, which was something new. The monster balanced on a large tail that was reminiscent of a dolphin, they had two arms, and fins on the side of their head that were a deeper orange than the rest of them. They wore a light blue shirt with a fish drawn in the same shade as their skin. "I fell." She added.

The monster tugged slightly at their shirt as if making some decision. "You know what this is?" It asked pointing to the neon blue flower that was near it. Alanna shook her head, and the monster shyly smiled at her. "This is an Echo Flower."

"An Echo Flower?" Alanna asked taking a few steps toward the two. The monster seemed to tense a bit, but waved her over anyway. Alanna walked a bit closer. Both of them tried to give the other space.

"It repeats the last thing it heard, over and over…" He said with a bigger smile. He motioned to the flower and she automatically stepped a bit closer.

"It repeats the last thing it heard, over and over." The flower sounded off in a warped version of the monster's voice. Higher pitched and clear as a bell.

"Wow." She whispered.

"Wow." The flower crooned in response. Alanna took a step back, wondering if proximity is what caused it to 'echo.'

"Neat, huh?" The monster was beaming, and Alanna beamed back. "I guess they don't have Echo Flowers on the surface."

"No, they're incredible."

The orange monster motioned at the path that continued past the empty sentry station. "There are a lot of Echo Flowers in Waterfall."

"I can see why they named it Waterfall." Alanna said her eyes drawn back to the large waterfall that gushed out of the room into the darkness.

"Our king is wonderful in many ways, but naming is not one of those ways."

"Asgore named this place?"

The monster seemed surprised. "You know his name. Um, yes king Asgore named all of the Underground, as is his royal right."

"Makes sense." Alanna mumbled.

"You should explore more of Waterfall; I think you'll like it." The monster urged. "Just be wary, not all monsters here will be peaceful."

"I know." Alanna said softly.

"I'm sorry."

Alanna waved the monster's apology away easily. She understood the primal fear that was driving the monsters to fight her. The more they attacked her the more she found herself shying away from any contact with them. Alanna wanted to push her fear aside like the hero she wished she could be, but it was only getting harder.

"Don't be." She said beginning down the path the monster had pointed out. "It was nice to meet you!"

"Wait!"

"Wait!" The Echo Flower chirped.

"What's your name?" Alanna smiled to herself and turned back around. The orange monster had moved away from their corner as if they were going to chase after her. Alanna smiled widely at them.

"My name is Alanna."

"Flip." They said nodding to her.

"Nice to meet you, Flip." Alanna said before heading further into Waterfall.


	16. Load

Load

She had hardly made it around the corner before she noticed a small bridge that spanned out and wrapped around a huge rushing waterfall that pushed white rocks off of its ledge and into the hazy depths below. Alanna stood wracked with indecision her eyes locked on the wooden walkway.

"It could be rotted." She said taking her first step. The platform creaked underneath her weight but otherwise held firm. "I could fall." She mumbled wandering out a bit further. Through the cracks between the boards she could see the mist from the large waterfall spiraling down into nothing.

"This mindset is why I'm here in the first place." She grumbled as she made her way around the outskirts of the pathway. Alanna could see that the Waterfall was clipping and spilling out across the far pathway leaving a bubbling and thin layer of liquid.

An Echo Flower sat on its own little bit of walkway hallway between Alanna and the rushing water. She made her way to it, her eyes flickering to the wood beneath her every few seconds, fearful that her next step could be her last.

Heart pounding, she finally made it within range of the blue flower. "I swore I saw something…" It whispered in a solemn tone that seemed at odds with its bell-toned voice. "…Behind that rushing water…"

Alanna slowly turned, feeling like she was the star of a horror film, to look into the Waterfall. There was nothing. Alanna's breath left her in a rush, her body relaxing. Alanna edged towards the waterfall with an overwhelming urge to dip her fingers into it. The water moving across the closest platform wasn't very deep at all. It was hardly half an inch thick, and with Alanna carefully making every step the water wasn't a hindrance at all.

It didn't take much for Alanna to submerge her fingers, grinning wildly at the strange feeling of the flowing water. Alanna narrowed her eyes as she noticed a stationary dark spot. After a few minutes of gawking at it she realized that the dark thing was a camera.

The flower was right.

Suddenly feeling watched Alanna made her way off of the platform, shaking the stray water from her hand. Her hair, which she could see from the edges of her vision, was decorated with a million droplets.

Alanna ran her fingers over the knots in her hair, which were beginning to feel more like solid chunks with a few strands of free hair thrown in. She knew that she must look like a wild thing with her hair sticking in all different directions.

"What I wouldn't give for a brush." She sighed ruefully. Ahead of her, the top of the waterfall with the chunks of white rocks rushed past. The path seemed to cross underneath the flow of water before emerging on the other side. Alanna sighed but shrugged off her backpack and plopped down on the ground, removing her shoes and socks. After she shoved her damp shoes into the bottom of the bag, making sure to keep her coat and the pastry away from them, she stood back up and put the bag back on. The dirt was surprisingly soft underfoot as she made her way to the bank of the water.

The white rocks looked much larger up close, Alanna thought, they whipped past rather quickly not leaving much time before another was sent rocketing through the waters. Alanna bit her lip debating turning back, but Beatrix had made it clear that there was a sight that she would never forget.

The initial shock of the water quickly wore off and Alanna splashed through the current, trying her best to avoid the rocks that were now all around her. One clipped her ankle, but there was no real pain other than a moment of blind panic before she stumbled onto the other side. If the experience hadn't been laced with danger Alanna would have thought the water refreshing.

The damp heat that permeated this area reminded her of a humid summer she had spent in the south with her parents. It felt as if the area was cast in an eternal twilight, the small glowing crystals that dotted the walls reminding Alanna of fireflies frozen in time. Ahead of her tall grasses covered the path teetered between looking sinister and playful. Alanna pushed through the grass attempting to part it with her hands, but the strands simply enveloped her from her feet to her head. She giggled, the sound echoing back to her, as she fought her way back onto the clear path. A single strand of the grass had been uprooted and had wrapped around her left arm as if it wanted to go with her. She took the grass in her hands teasing and toying with it as she walked along. It had a strange texture feeling almost wax-like in its rigidity.

Alanna walked for a while. She came across an interesting bridge made of blooming flowers. The petals were cool and strangely buoyant underneath her feet. Alanna slowly made her way across finding herself smiling more and more as she dipped and swayed with the flowers. The next room was full of echo flowers.

She stared at the slightly glowing light blue flower and took a few steps forward.

"A long time ago, monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars in the sky. If you hoped with all your heart, your wish would come true. Now, all we have are these sparkling stones on the ceiling..." The echo flower chirped its high-pitched voice.

The small sad statement had Alanna tilting her gaze upwards towards the sparkling stones set in the celling. They twinkled and glowed back almost sadly echoing the sentiment. She sighed and stepped toward the next flower.

"Thousands of people wishing together can't be wrong! The king will prove that _._ " A hopeful chirp rang out.

Another bell-toned voice. "C'mon, sis! Make a wish!"

"Ah... seems my horoscope is the same as last week's _."_

"I wish my sister and I will see the real stars someday..." Alanna slowed to a stop, ignoring the telescope that sat alone in the cavern of shimmering rocks. Her relatively good mood draining away into an aching sadness for the monsters.

She slipped out of the room quietly refusing to override any of the quiet wishes that the flowers had picked up.

The somber tone of the previous room hung over Alanna as she walked onto what appeared to be a low set boardwalk with sluggishly moving stream crawling underneath. The gentle sound of lapping water accentuated the rhythm of her footsteps.

The boardwalk was long. It curved and twisted in on itself though it's path was relatively straight. Alanna wondered, vaguely, why the boardwalk twisted when it would use less wood to simply move in a straight line. Underneath her feet the boardwalk was worn and smooth and she could almost imagine how many monsters had walked where she now walked. The long blade of grass, under her careful supervision, had taken shape into a braided bracelet which she put onto her left wrist. Strangely enough it seemed to fit this place.

Alanna stepped from the pier and pushed her way through another patch of the long and waxy grass. As Alanna shook free of the last strands of grass, this time without gathering any stowaways, she noticed a small table next to a small hole in the wall.

"Is that…" Alanna slowly crept over to the table where a small slice of cheese had been trapped in a crystal. A short squeak responded to her voice. The sound had come from the small hole in the wall and Alanna wondered if the sound came from a normal mouse, or a monster mouse. Was there a difference?

A gentle glow lit the cavern ahead of her. Alanna headed toward it, something deep in her gut telling her that this was the place that Beatrix wanted her to see. A little further and Alanna noted that the glow was not steady, but instead ebbed and swirled along the walls as she neared the source.

The sight was spectacular. Alanna felt her breath leave her in a small huff as she stared at the room. There were hardly any lights in the walls, but that didn't matter because of the bioluminescent water. Unlike most of the water in Waterfall, it didn't flow. This water simply swirled and bobbed where monsters slipped in and out of the waters.

She gasped lightly and found herself scrambling to the edge of the water, dipping her fingers into the glowing substance. It didn't feel any different than normal water, other than the fact that it threw light up dying her skin a strange mint green and made her hair look black. Lillypads dotted the surface of the water the light creeping through the veins of the plant.

"I wonder if it's safe to drink." Alanna mumbled to herself running her hand through the water.

"It's perfectly safe." A voice cooed to her. Alanna jerked her gaze up to see a rather amused looking seahorse-like monster swimming near the opposite bank. The monster stared at her with an uncomfortable intensity. Their head was shaped like a horse, which quickly shifted into a sleek dolphin body if dolphins had a gym fetish. Their arm which was lazily propped upon the grassy bank were probably bigger than Alanna's head. When her eyes landed back on the monster's face, they winked. Alanna shifted uneasily.

"Do you know why it glows?"

"No clue." The monster said shortly. "Don't really need to know why. I appreciate beauty in all its forms." Another wink and Alanna had to stop herself from pulling a face.

She simply nodded to the monster and tried to ignore the pointed stares that were being flung her way. Instead she shed her backpack and plopped herself onto the bank letting her feet drop unceremoniously into the water. A few stray drops glimmered on her hand in the dim light. Alanna reached out with her dry hand and pulled the backpack open fishing out the cinnamon bunny. It wasn't toasty warm anymore, but Alanna found herself fawning over the cute shape. It was like a cinnamon bun but shaped to look like a rounded little bunny painted white with icing. She nibbled on the ears as she let the calming atmosphere soak into her bones.

Suddenly, she felt the world flicker, and watched in horror as her soul appeared in all its strangeness. Hands like iron clamped around her ankles, bringing her attention to the monster from before.

 **Aaron flexes in!**

Alanna instantly reached out to Act. She could either Flex or Shoo, at the moment with his hands wrapped so firmly around her ankles, she instantly went to shoo him.

"Let go of me!" She said waving him away. "Go bother someone else."

"Wow, spunky! I love it!" Aaron said throwing a flirty wink before his hands tightened and dragged Alanna down into the water. "And so unique," he said his eyes locked onto her soul. She tried to avoid the crushing blow of Aaron's arms wrapping around her but she wasn't fast enough.

It hurt. She felt herself screech. It was as if he had crushed in her ribs with just a hug. She attempted to struggle away, but the more she moved the more she watched her health drop. She was in the red when the pain faded into her turn.

"Get away from me before you regret it!" She growled through grit teeth. Aaron considered her threat for a moment.

"Fiesty, huh?" He cooed. His arms which had gone slack when considering her threat slammed into her again.

There was a wash of agony, and a distant pop. Then all fell black.

"Sweetheart," A soft voice sneaking through the darkness. Alanna stirred slightly like a red-hued ember in the darkness. "Don't give up. You can do this, I know you can." Alanna listened to the soothing tones of her mother, and she was once again the uncertain college kid considering quitting. It was all too hard, but her mother believed in her. Alanna had pulled through then….

The dark nothing that had wrapped around her relinquished its hold as Alanna felt the warmth of her conviction. The monsters were trapped, so was Frisk, but she wouldn't leave them. She wouldn't give up. There had to be a way…..there just had to be a way to get out. To save everyone.

The warmth sparked into a roaring inferno and Alanna absolutely refused her situation.

Ungodly pain.

Alanna drew in a breath surprised that she could breathe. The horrible ripping agony that was her stomach erased the surprise.

"Save!" Frisk's voice commanded desperately. Alanna forced her eyes open. Papyrus' face was the first thing she saw, tears streaming down his face looking utterly lost.

"I…did…." She answered realizing that she had been here before. Frisk looked momentarily confused before they suddenly pushed themselves out of the snow and bolted into the nearest building. Beatrix's shop.

It hurt.

"It hurts," She told Papyrus weakly.

"DO NOT WORRY THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS YOU NOW." Papyrus soothed through his tears. "THE HUMAN WILL SAVE YOU."

Darkness began to rise at the edges of her vision. In a hazy sort of mindset Alanna noted that she stayed awake longer this time than the last. A small chime. So much pain.

"Eat this." Frisk commanded appearing in Alanna's view pushing a cinnamon bunny toward her mouth. Alanna took a large bite and forced herself to chew and swallow it. It would have tasted wonderful if she couldn't taste her own blood marring the sweet flavors. Frisk must have gotten some on their fingers.

The pain wasn't any easier to take. The world spun and sparkled around her as she took another large bite and tried to swallow it. She let herself succumb to the darkness before Frisk could try and shove a new pastry into her mouth.

The gentle whisper of paper and wind was the first thing Alanna heard as she woke. The same blanket as before had been carefully tucked around her, smelling like a nice cologne and faintly of ketchup.

"What the hell?" She groaned pushing the cover away from herself like it scalded her. Sans' room was disorganized, with a trash tornado in the corner. The warning bells began to ring in her head again. Alanna attempted to sit up, but a wave of nausea and pain dropped her back to the mattress like a sack of potatoes. From her positon, she could see the burger just like last time sitting next to a small handwritten note. This time a small carton of fries sat next to the plate.

A glance to her clothing revealed Papyrus' shirt hanging from her. Cuts still decorated her arms and legs. She tugged the shirt up and was surprised to see a rather angry looking stretch of newly formed skin still surrounded by scrapes. A light probe cause the nausea to swell. Alanna let herself lay back closing her eyes and riding out the feeling until she could breathe past it. She reached out and caught the carton of fries nibbling on the end of one. They were cold, but still okay. Salty.

"How long was I out?" She wondered aloud to herself. When she could sit up without wanting to throw up she headed toward the living room. The stairs lightly creaked as Alanna padded down them, trying to ignore the fact that she was only wearing the oversized shirt once again. The T.V. lit the room in flickering colors, revealing Sans kicked back and watching whatever show was on.

"it's a re-run." Sans said when she reached the bottom step. Alanna flinched her hand going to her stomach briefly. "you're probably confused." Sans said tilting his head to stare at her from his seat. "questions?" He patted the cushion next to him.

Alanna crept to the couch and perched on the edge of the seat pushing the shirt down slightly so that it covered her vital bits. "Sans….what happened?"

"From what the kid and I can tell…" Sans said placing a hand on his neck. "You died."

"I… _what_?"

"Died." He repeated his voice a measure softer. The lights that served as his eyes roamed Alanna's face as if he were searching for some sort of answer.

"I died." Alanna echoed suddenly feeling lost. A flash of Aaron's crushing arms had her hugging herself, decency be damned. "He killed me."

"who?" Sans' voice was sharper than its normal laid back tone. A twinge from her stomach warned her away from giving out the monster's name. Alanna wondered why she was protecting Aaron from a vague threat when he had killed her.

"It doesn't look like it matters." She said glancing around the living room. It was dark still and she knew that Snowdin would be a soft golden light amid the freezing darkness outside.

"here i was thinkin' you were _dying_ to tell me."

"….was that a pun?"

"i never joke about _grave_ situations. that would be _ghast_ ly of me." Sans quipped his eyes locked onto Alanna's.

She simply glared at Sans until the smile shifted from amused to uncomfortable. Then extremely uncomfortable. Sans fidgeted slightly bringing himself slightly closer to the glaring human.

"Sans…" Alanna glanced down at her hands breaking the glare. "Why did I wake up bleeding out? It feels like….I've done this all before…"

"you have." Sans answered simply. Alanna let her gaze wander to the angry scrapes that marred her arms. They had been gone when she went to Waterfall, but they were back still aching and hurting as if she had only fallen a few days ago. Maybe less than that.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when Sans's fingers reached out to lightly touch the infected looking wounds. Sans and Alanna hardly ever touched and when it happened they both tried to get out of it as quickly as possible. His touch was feather-light, hardly there, but it was enough to draw Alanna's gaze to his face. He studied the scrapes intently, as if he had never noticed them before.

"paps won't remember anything from before." Sans spoke softly, his fingers still tracing the multitudes of scrapes. "no one will, save for you, the kid, and myself."

"Why?"

"because technically it never happened. your death caused us to revert back to your last save, which was-"

"When I got impaled." Alanna breathed her free hand going to her stomach. She wasn't sure why she let Sans keep touching her.

"yeah."

"So….how did this happen?"

"you're the only one who knows how you died." Sans said his eyes flickering up to her face. Alanna watched him for a long moment then dropped her gaze remembering the strength of Aaron's arms.

"Sans…people don't just come back from the dead."

"certain people do. what color is your soul?" Sans asked his fingers stilling on her skin. Alanna noticed that even the bones put off a certain amount of warmth.

Her mind flashed to Flowey, his laughter, the feel of one of his seeds like acid against her leg. "You've seen it." Alanna mumbled.

"sorry, but i don't remember. i don't retain all of my memories when time skips."

"Why do I?"

"something to do with your soul." Sans said his fingers going back to tracing the scrapes. It was strangely calming. "certain things can trigger my memories from different timelines though." Alanna sat back letting the couch cradle her. "what color?"

"Red." She mumbled.

"so is the kid's soul. it means you have a lot of something called Determination. that's the force that allows you to save, and through saving come back from the dead." Sans chuckled darkly. "among other things."

"Other things?"

"i wouldn't have guessed your soul was red," Sans mused drawing some strange pattern on her arm. Something in Alanna's mind latched onto the movement. Faintly she could hear static at the edge of her hearing, like a T.V on its lowest setting that had lost signal. Another symbol and the static in her mind increased her eyes locking onto his fingers. Slowly as if through a haze, Alanna realized she knew what he was drawing.

 _Sans_. Her mind supplied. It was the same strange understanding that came through her dreams. Over and over he traced his own name on her arm.

"when you couldn't heal at the kid's save point…" Sans sighed never looking away from her arm. "that was somethin' else." It was almost as if he couldn't look up to meet her questioning gaze.

"I knew I couldn't." Alanna said shaking the strangeness from her mind.

"what?"

Alanna laughed slightly then. Sans' fingertips stilled for a moment as if he were distracted. "I knew I couldn't heal at the Save points. I can't see them, much less really utilize them," she mused, "back in the ruins I saved without really realizing what was going on. It didn't heal me then."

Sans finally glanced up to watch Alanna seeming to hesitate for a moment before quietly letting out a question. "how bad was it?"

"It's hard to say. When I fell, I think I hurt my head as well as everything else. My leg hurt the most and I couldn't walk. I crawled through the cave trying to find a way out to get help. I had taken my backpack, with my cellphone inside, off and sat it near the front of the cave before I had gone to explore. So, when I fell…I had nothing with me. I thought I was going to die."

The severity of the situation had felt distant then. It had been filled with her attempting to motivate herself to move and taking in the strange cave. Her head had been phenomenally fuzzy. Maybe that's why she didn't freak out about Toriel as much as she probably should have.

"were you scared?" Sans' voice had softened and it reminded her of distant thunder. Low and soft; it was strange that it sounded more comforting than scary. Alanna glanced back to his hands, the static flaring back up, as his name began to repeat in her mind over and over.

"Yes," Alanna said softly, "I was scared."

"ALANNA HUMAN!" The sudden outburst sent both Alanna and Sans scrambling away. Alanna hardly noticed that she had nearly jumped into Sans' lap. "MY APOLOGIES," Papyrus said in a softer manner as he bounded down the stairs, "I DID NOT MEAN TO STARTLE YOU." He added.

"Papyrus!" Alanna said instantly relaxing at his sight.

"MY BROTHER DID NOT MEAN IT!" He began to explain almost sounding frantic. Alanna held up a hand causing him to fall silent.

"Sans already told me," Alanna explained, "and we're friends now. No need to worry."

Relief spread across his face making his smile widen and his eyes sparkle. "WOWIE, YOU TWO ARE ALREADY FRIENDS? YOU ARE ALMOST AS TALENTED AT MAKING FRIENDS AS I AM!"

Alanna stifled a giggle, carefully shifting away from Sans. Without his fingers tracing her skin her mind settled back into its uneasy state. She made sure to keep the normal distance between them. Perhaps dying had messed with her mind somehow. "You're pretty great Papyrus, I don't know if I'll ever be as good as you."

"WELL YOU CAN ALWAYS SHOOT FOR SECOND BEST!" Papyrus encouraged her easily taking a seat next to her. Alanna shifted herself away from Sans taking the middle cushion for her own. The three of them chatted about frivolous things while Alanna's mind repeated the moment of her death.

It was a hard thing to wrap her mind around. Death was supposed to be once. You got one, and then everything you had ever worked toward, every person you had ever connected with was simply gone. Her stomach ached and she had a feeling it would until she ate again. Something about monster food healed her, though she had no idea why. It was better than no healing at all.

"EXCUSE ME, ALANNA HUMAN?" Papyrus' voice broke through her train of thought but from the way Sans and Papyrus were looking at her it seemed that they had been attempting to get her attention for a while now.

"Yes?" She asked forcing herself to pay attention to the tall skeleton.

"ARE YOU OKAY?" Alanna forced herself not to sigh. She nodded instead.

"Yeah, sorry, I'm just tired is all." The excuse fell easily and she watched the change roll through Papyrus. Worry shifted back into his normal bouncing energy.

"OF COURSE YOU ARE HUMAN! DO YOU NEED ME TO READ YOU A BEDTIME STORY?" There was a sort of hope sparkling in his eyes again, and Alanna had no intentions of crushing it.

"Sure, I love bedtime stories. My parents read them to me all the time when I was little."

"WHY DON'T THEY READ THEM TO YOU ANYMORE?"

"I'm too old," Alanna said but the crestfallen expression had her quickly tacking onto her sentence, "to live with my parents anymore. I don't get bedtime stories anymore because I live alone."

"HOW SAD." Papyrus remarked pushing himself off of the couch. "YOU GO TO BED AND I WILL COME WITH A WONDERFUL BEDTIME STORY!" Papyrus made a shoo-ing motion but Alanna simply sat where she was.

"I am in bed."

"THAT IS A COUCH NOT A BED." Papyrus began to scold.

"Well, I can't steal Sans' room. You and Frisk are in the other room, so the living room is the only place left for me."

Papyrus seemed to take that in for a second, his eyes flickering to his brother then back up the stairs toward his own room, where they finally stopped to rest on the couch itself. He sighed once and then nodded decisively giving in to the logic that had gotten her on the couch the first time. He quickly bounded upstairs and once again Alanna heard the strange song with the soaring notes that seemed to dance above the bouncing bass line. She focused in on the music and instead heard a different song as Papyrus slipped into his room.

This new song was lax, almost jazz like in the lazy way it moved from note to note. Alanna glanced over to Sans trying to memorize the strange disembodied music. It was relatively simple and after a minute of listening to it she was sure that she could recreate it if needed. That was one skill she had picked up in the radio business.

Once again the bouncing song picked up and Alanna glanced up just before Papyrus came bursting out of his room carrying a familiar pile of blankets with an unfamiliar lump of faded brown fur at the top. Alanna went to glance at Sans, but he was standing a few feet away looking rather amused. The pile of blankets were promptly dumped on her head cutting off any view of the stouter skeleton.

How anyone could consider Sans short was a mystery to Alanna, but compared to the other monsters he was. Alanna and her 5 foot 6-inch self was dwarfed by the giants around her. Frisk was too. Alanna began to dig through the layers of blankets knowing that from Frisk's height at such a young age they might just grow taller than her. Hopefully taller than Sans. Alanna realized that with her attention off of the music it had disappeared as suddenly as it had come.


	17. late night talks

"Umm," she gasped finally digging her way to the surface, "I need to clean the couch before I can sleep on it."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" Papyrus seemed puzzled. Alanna couldn't help but laugh at that thought. If anything her reaction confused him more.

"what's so _humerous_?" Sans asked.

"I was just thinking that Papyrus looked puzzled." Alanna managed to get out between giggles. "I thought it was funny because the puzzler has become the puzzled." It was getting hard to breathe past the laughter. Sans actually joined in, his laughter so low she could nearly feel it in her chest.

"NYEH HEH HEH," Papyrus laughed seeming to enjoy the sudden outburst from Alanna.

"Sorry, sorry," she gasped finally calming down, "I meant that the couch is lumpy and I'm pretty sure there's something like coins down underneath the cushions."

"something like that." Sans quipped watching her closely from his side of the room. Alanna simply glared at him for a second before looking back to Papyrus who was attempting to pull the covers off her.

One relatively sharp movement caused a spike of pain to ripple through her midsection. Alanna just barely stopped herself from making a small hurt noise. She figured that Papyrus would beat himself up over the small action even if it wasn't a big deal. She swore that she could feel Sans' gaze burning her face. She ignored it.

"HERE," Papyrus said gallantly offering his arm, "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL HELP YOU!" He was surprisingly gentle as he pulled her up from the couch. She smiled and helped Papyrus pull the couch covers off the couch, and picked up the golden coins one at a time.

"HOW DID YOU KNOW THEY WERE COINS?" Papyrus asked softly holding one up to the light. It dully shined the light back showing no real markings to identify it as actual currency.

"I just knew it was lumpy. Sorta like the princess and the pea."

"A PEA PRINCESS?"

Alanna stared at Papyrus for a moment a mild surprise flitting across her features. She tugged balefully on a strand of her hair. It was less clumped, but still a horrible mess. That's what happens when you take a bath, never brush your hair, and let it dry as you sleep.

"It's a bedtime story my Dad used to tell me." Alanna watched the excitement trickle into Papyrus' expression. "I could tell it to you, if you want…"

Papyrus spared no time in sitting on the floor next to the couch staring at Alanna with literal stars in his eyes. Sans, who was surprisingly still standing in the corner of the room padded over and took a seat next to Papyrus looking up at her with an unreadable expression.

"I can't do it as well as my Dad." Alanna warned. She took a moment looking at the two skeletons who had taken her into their home. "Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted very much to be in love. But," she said holding up a finger, "the king and queen didn't want the prince to marry just anyone, they wanted him to marry the fairest and most sensitive princess of them all. And so, the queen devised a test."

"A TEST?"

"Yes, a test that would reveal the purest princess for her son. The Queen decided to place a single pea underneath multiple mattresses thinking that any princess who could not sleep due to the disturbance of the pea, would certainly be the one for her son."

She told the story softly, pausing at times for Papyrus to interject or ask what something meant. After one bout of pleading she shifted into trying to give each character a voice, settling on the daintiest voice she could muster when she made it to the real princess.

Papyrus seemed enraptured by the tale and when she finally finished he was sparkling. "WOWIE, ALANNA HUMAN." He sat forward brushing against her legs as he did so. "WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THAT?"

Alanna paused for a moment the surrealness of her situation hitting her. "They lived happily ever after, of course."

Papyrus made a soft squealing sound his cheeks radiating a soft orange pink light. Alanna watched him amused for a moment trying to ignore that the way he blushed was through magic.

"come on bro." Sans said pushing himself up onto his feet. "we need to let her sleep. humans need rest to heal." The last part he said softly refusing to really look at Alanna.

"RIGHT YOU ARE BROTHER! ALANNA HUMAN, I HOPE YOU SLEEP WELL!" Papyrus announced hopping up with way too much energy. Alanna smiled and wished him goodnight. He bounded up the stairs and disappeared into his room, Sans was already gone.

Alanna closed her eyes but sleep would not come. Her stomach ached sharply every few minutes and after half an hour she pushed herself up and padded around the room searching for her shoes. She quickly found the place they stashed her stuff and she pulled on her shoes and her coat and pushed out of the warmth of the house into the biting cold.

Her stomach instantly contracted and Alanna let out a small grunt of pain, but she pushed on heading toward the familiar sight of Beatrix's shop. She paused where she had passed out, new snow already covered the ground, but it only took a little bit of digging to see the dark crystalized crimson. Her legs were screaming from the cold, not used to being exposed, but Alanna simply stared at the spot holding her stomach protectively.

Like always Snowdin gave off a quaint feel, even as she was staring at the spot where she had been bleeding out not long before. After a few minutes, there was suddenly a two note run.

 **File Saved**.

Alanna let out a sigh watching her breath curl in the night air. She turned only to nearly scream as she realized that Sans was standing only a few feet away watching her. They stood staring at each other for a long moment before Sans broke the silence by holding out his hand.

"this cold can't be good for ya." Alanna let herself relax slightly and began to walk back toward the house brushing past him with a friendly smile. The sound of his footsteps followed and when she went back into the warmth of the house he shut the door behind her softly. "trouble sleeping?" He asked as she pulled off her coat and shoes.

"Yeah," Alanna said going back to the nest of covers on the couch. Sans pushed the covers aside and sat next to her flipping on the t.v. Mettaton instantly filled the screen, his robotic voice strangely soothing. It was a game show of sorts where a monster was answering trivia questions. Mettaton was a wonderful host encouraging his contestant when needed.

Sans pushed himself off the couch and headed into the kitchen, Alanna stayed put letting warmth creep back into her legs. After a few minutes, he came back with two mugs. He pushed one into Alanna's hands and took a sip of his own.

Alanna took a sip and found that she really liked the gentle sweetness of the liquid. It had to be some sort of tea she had never had before. They sat in silence for a bit and Alanna slowly felt a warm drowsiness settle over her body. She wasn't sure how she ended up pillowed against Sans, but she did notice he let off that same strange smell as his room.

"Why are you doing this?" Alanna slurred half awake. Sans glanced down at her surprise flitting across his face.

"what do ya mean?"

"Why are you helping me?" Alanna yawned.

"we're friends." He said his eye-lights going back to the t.v.

"No we're not." Alanna sighed closing her eyes. She felt him shift slightly underneath her. "You never liked me. You tried to kill me." She lightly touched her stomach. "This is the most you've talked to me since I got here." She added.

"…how long were you here?"

"A month maybe more. You don't remember?"

"not the exact amount of time. just certain things." He mumbled in reply.

"What do you remember?" Sans stilled underneath her. He was quiet for so long Alanna was almost asleep when he began to sleep.

"almost killing you. i remember that…." A pause. "you made friends with the shopkeeper and her sister. you hung out with the kid and paps almost every day. you ate glitter," he chuckled. "the kid really loves you."

Slowly the world faded away, and a familiar grey room settled around Alanna.

W.D. Gaster was in front of her his cracked face watching her with a gentle smile.

"Gaster." She said uneasily taking a small step back. "I…I don't…"

"Do not be afraid," his voice was static and symbols and yet somehow her mind translated. "I am sorry if our visits have been unpleasant for you as of late.

"Wha-?"

"It is not an easy process having information implanted in your head. I'm sorry I had to be the one to do it, but you're the only one I can contact." His smile turned sheepish and he wrung his bony hands. It was then she realized that his hands had holes in them.

"Why me?"

Another smile, more genuine this time. "Your soul." He waved his hand slightly and just like that her soul emerged shining brilliance into the drab grey room. The red was pulsing harshly while the silver seemed to be slowly flowing in and out of the crimson. "Determination gives you the ability to bend time. Yours isn't as strong as young Frisk's, but there are reasons I cannot visit them."

Alanna studied the strange inconsistent shape of his body and the way he seemed to pulse in and out of focus along with her soul.

"It won't always be this easy," Gaster muttered almost to himself.

"What do you mean by that?" Alanna asked taking a small step back. Gaster's smile softened and understanding entered his eyes.

"You've recently displaced at least a month's worth of time by your death. Without going into detail that energy is still hanging around you and it makes it easier for me to talk to you."

"Who are you?" Alanna asked taking in the strange spectral being. He seemed like a monster, he felt like it somewhere in the core of her being.

"That's not important," he attempted to brush her concern away.

"You're invading my dreams, you can bet that it's important." The room flashed red along with her words. Determination flowed through her and she took a few steps toward him. "Who are you? Why are you talking to me?"

Gaster held up his hands as a sign of defeat and peace. Alanna tried to ignore the fact that she could see through them. "You know my name already, but I suppose it is not enough. I can tell you who I was if that will placate you."

"Okay," Alanna hedged, "who _were_ you?"

"I was the Head Royal Scientist and the forerunner in Determination research." He said watching her closely. "Asgore entrusted me to learn about Determination. We hoped to utilize it to break the Barrier."

"You didn't." Alanna said feeling the weight of being trapped once more.

"No, I didn't. Suffering spawned from my research." He seemed to sag into himself and the room flickered violently for a moment. "Things might have been different if I hadn't been so careless. So clinical. I never guessed logic would be my undoing."

"What happened?"

"You've seen my handiwork." He chuckled darkly gesturing to himself. "Only able to speak to you because of your Determination. My downfall."

The room around them erupted into a flurry of movement and sound. Thousands of scenes flashed before Alanna and she began to whimper at the influx of information. She watched as a yellow dinosaur monster went down a hall carrying a familiar looking yellow flower. She watched as Gaster, lanky and dressed in a white lab coat, jammed a glowing red syringe into his bony arm. She heard his screams unravel into static. She watched Sans throw the lab coat into a pit of active lava one of his eyes flashing blue. A large pulsing white wall that played tricks on the eyes standing silently. A white furry monster hunched over a small body. Dust raining down upon flowers as yellow as sunshine.

"Please," Gaster's voice whispered through the chaos, "help me fix this." So many humans all of them beaten and bloody, souls of different hues sparking in the darkness. Frisk standing in a brightly lit hallway, looking dull and grey against the vibrant landscape, staring down a familiar figure. Their eyes burned crimson. A flash of blue. A slash of red. Dust on a blue hoodie.

A hand with a hole gently wiping away blue tinted tears. That same hand wrapping a red scarf around a young Papyrus' neck.

"Alanna," the voice was faint but gave her a lifeline. The chaos slowed around her slightly and she watched Frisk, red eyes glowing, as they stood before two floating words. Erase and Do Not.

"Please help me fix this." Gaster was breaking apart fading further and further from view.

"Alanna," The voice sounded again and Gaster suddenly reached out grabbing a hold of her wrists. It felt like acid. Alanna screamed.

"Find the shed." Gaster insisted looking torn. "Go after Alphys. I'll tell you more lat-"


	18. Feel Better Tea

"Alanna!"

The grey room shattered and Alanna came to with Sans' hands shaking her shoulders. Papyrus and Frisk were watching from the corner of the room looking frightened. Sans stopped shaking her the moment she seemed to fixate on him.

"kid?"

"I'm 22," Alanna instantly quipped, "not a kid." Her wrists still hurt and she felt as if she hadn't slept in weeks. Her stomach ached and she automatically went to hold her middle, but Sans stopped one hand staring at her wrists.

Her skin looked blistered in a strange warped pattern that half resembled a hand. She stared at it for a long moment remembering the desperate pleas of Gaster. He must really feel bad about whatever he did. Alanna doubted he meant to hurt her.

"DID YOU HAVE A NIGHTMARE?" Papyrus sounded gentle despite the volume of his voice.

"Something like that." Alanna said catching Frisk's eye. They nodded once. Alanna had to speak to Frisk about this, it felt like something that they would help her understand. Alanna was determined to give these monsters their happy ending, and she had a feeling that Gaster had given her the clues to do just that.

"SANS?" Papyrus glanced to Sans, but he was still staring at the odd blisters. "SANS!"

"what is it?" Sans said glancing to Papyrus.

"DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD MAKE HER FEEL BETTER TEA?"

Sans blinked at her for a moment and then nodded. "yeah we all deserve some feel better tea today." He pulled himself off the couch and walked into the kitchen.

" _Alanna,"_ Frisk caught her attention and quickly made the 'a' sign against their cheek. Alanna smiled widely at Frisk when she realized that they had given her a shortcut for her name. " _I want to show you around the Hotlands today!"_ They smiled easily and Alanna realized how easy it was for Frisk to lie. Having time bending powers would do that to a person, Alanna guessed.

"Sure," she said/signed back, "I'd love to see."

"paps," Sans called from the kitchen. Papyrus instantly rushed out of the room to help his brother.

" _You okay?_ " Frisk asked looking unusually serious for a kid. " _I know the first time is the worst."_

"Still processing really," Alanna said looking down toward her hands.

" _No one has…..talked to you right?"_ Frisk asked their eyes locking onto Alanna.

Alanna blinked and bit her lip unsure of what to tell Frisk. Gaster flitted through her mind but Frisk was suddenly grabbing her.

"Was their name Chara?" Frisk said out loud, looking frightened, as a slow curl of red flowed behind their eyes for a moment before going back to normal.

"No," Alanna said trying to calm the child. "I don't know that name."

"HERE ALANNA HUMAN," Papyrus nearly sang as he moved into the living room holding two mugs. Frisk instantly released her. He handed her a rainbow colored mug that had 'cool dude' scrawled across it in some type of black marker. "THIS IS MY FAVORITE CUP WITH MY FAVORITE TEA. THERE IS NO WAY YOU WILL NOT FEEL BETTER!"

"I believe you," Alanna said smiling up at Papyrus. The warmth helped shake away the cold that the grey room had instilled in her. Sans shuffled into the room handing Frisk their own mug which had little flowers printed on the sides. Papyrus' mug had a smiling skeleton face while Sans' was simply a gentle shade of pink.

Frisk nearly climbed into her lap to give Papyrus room to sit down. Sans sat on Alanna's other side flipping the television onto the Mettaton morning show.

"WELCOME BEAUTIES," He droned. For as much emotion that Mettaton was able to convey his voice did him no favors. It was unbearably drab compared to his fabulous personality.

"Alanna!" Frisk said as the show's last scene faded to black. "I promised I'd show you Hotlands today remember?"

Papyrus looked crestfallen. "I HAD HOPED TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH OUR NEW FRIEND."

"Tomorrow I'm all yours. We can even do a sleep over with all the works."

"SLEEP OVER?" Papyrus was instantly bubbly.

"Yeah," She promised.

Frisk was already heading over with a pair of familiar shorts but a different shirt. It actually looked like it might fit her. Alanna felt her mouth pop open slightly. Frisk simply tugged her up and shoved her toward the bathroom. Papyrus' shirt still hung down long enough to look like a poorly fitted dress. Alanna sighed and stripped it off noticing small sprinkles of blood that they had missed when trying to take care of her. She ran the tap trying to ignore her bodies automatic recoil at the cold water.

Alanna stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair was still crazy, but not nearly as matted as before. Weeks of abuse gone in a single instant. She hated that her hair gave her a wild and untamed look, almost adding a mad look in her eyes. Dark circles were under her eyes giving her a ghoulish look. Too pale skin showed that she had recently been sick or injured.

"I could believe that I died recently." She said pressing a finger into the puffy darkness under her eyes. A darkness rose in her mind threatening to break her down with the overwhelming situation her hike had put her in. She had died…and came back. She had an odd soul, that she wasn't supposed to show and a power that she wasn't supposed to use. Requested by a mother monster to risk her soul being stolen to make sure that a human child was safe.

She lived with skeleton brothers. In an underground world of monsters.

With no way out.

Alanna bit her lip and pressed her shaking hands into her eyes cutting out the light of the room. She simply breathed, pushing the dark thoughts down until she felt like the world wasn't collapsing in on itself.

She shakily removed her hands and leaned back grabbing the new shirt and pulling it on. She tugged up the shorts, expertly tying the strings so that they wouldn't wiggle off of her hips on her adventures.

"First things first," she breathed, "I have to get a hairbrush."


	19. In the Past

In the Past

"Tra la la," sang the whispery voice, "the water is very wet today."

Alanna nodded slightly at the tall imposing figure that effortlessly guided the boat. Extremely tall with a grim reaper style cloak that gave no hint as to what lies underneath. The head swung toward her, and the black pit that should have been the face almost made Alanna shiver. Frisk, who was seated beside her letting their fingers glide through the water, glanced up grinning.

Frisk had been astounded that Alanna hadn't found the Riverperson before now. They helped ferry any in the Underground that might need it. The Riverperson stared for a few minutes more before turning back to the water humming quietly.

"So, Hotlands?" Alanna asked Frisk. They instantly nodded vigorously.

" _Yeah, it's a pretty neat place!"_ Frisk signed enthusiastically.

The boat slowly pulled up to an outcropping that wafted an unbearable heat. Alanna blinked already wishing she was back in the cold grip of Snowdin. Frisk grabbed her hand, pulling Alanna out of the boat and onto solid ground. Alanna glanced back to the hooded figure, forcing a smile and a wave. There was an appreciative hum before the boat bobbed back into the current.

"Okay," Alanna said turning back to Frisk, "I know this is about more than just showing me a new part of the underground." They nodded solemnly.

"This is a good place to talk." Frisk said softly kicking slightly at the ground. "You won't run into Undyne here, or Papyrus. Sans is usually working his stand near the core…so this is a relatively safe place."

"You don't have to talk, I know it bothers you." Alanna said frowning slightly.

"You haven't," Frisk said then paused glancing around, "you haven't met Chara yet." They spoke the name as if it were forbidden. They even seemed to shiver slightly as the sound left their lips. Alanna shook her head.

"No, I haven't."

Frisk began to walk almost aimlessly and Alanna followed behind frowning at their agitated movements.

"I think you need to know what's going on," Frisk started glancing over their shoulder. "Sans…he didn't think you should know. But, I think you can help." They said strongly. "I know it."

"I intended to try," Alanna remembered the darkness. How it had burned away as she decided to try and save the monsters stuck underground.

"What all do you know?" Frisk sounded much older than they looked. Tired. No, they sounded exhausted.

"I know we're trapped underground. I know that in order to leave we would have to kill someone." She bit her lip. "That I don't want to do that."

"You need the soul of a boss monster…or…you have to help everyone here. You can break the barrier without killing anyone." Frisk said softly. "You can free them without bloodshed."

"How do you know?"

"I did it once." Frisk looked to the ground, their hair covering their face. "Another timeline."

"Then…" Alanna faltered.

"They're still here because of me," Frisk's voice cracked the smallest bit.

"What happened?"

Frisk stopped dead in their tracks, their body unearthly still. "Like I said, you need to know what's going on…." A small sniffle. "….then maybe you can help."

"Frisk," Alanna breathed, "it's going to be oka-"

"No. It's not." Frisk cut Alanna off anger sharpening their words. "You need to know. So I'll tell you." They were shivering, refusing to look at her. "I'll tell you about the first time I fell underground." They crumpled to the ground, red dust puffing around their fall. "I was an orphan, and I hated my life."

"I wanted something better. I wanted to get away. So when the other kids dared me to climb the cursed mountain…I did."

Alanna quietly sat next to them. Watching their shoulders as they talked.

"I fell, and when I woke up I was underground. Except…I wasn't alone. There was a voice, a girl. She told me her name was Chara. I was scared, and all of the monsters kept attacking me. Chara told me that she could help. She could teach me how to survive. All I had to do was listen to her, let her in, and we could get out. Together." A tear fell from Frisk's face, and landed in the dust leaving a small darker spot. Alanna wanted to reach out to them, but knew it wasn't the right time. They needed to finish their story.

"Chara told me that this new world was kill or be killed, and I believed her. So, we killed. Over and over until there were almost no monsters left in the underground. With each hit I felt my body move faster, sharper. After a while it began to move without me. Chara, took my body, but I didn't care. Together we fought, we died, and we fought again until the underground was dead. But…." Frisk sobbed. "But I didn't want it. I couldn't want it. So when Chara offered to erase the world, I told her no."

A faint static tinged memory surfaced. A red-eyed frisk stood before two buttons, their face a mixture of horror and ecstasy.

"Chara told me it didn't matter. And she erased this world. Everything. Everyone. It was nothing but darkness." Frisk had hunched in on themselves. "But I waited. I kept screaming and fighting trying to bring it all back. I was sorry." A moment of silence. "I am sorry."

"She came back after a while," Frisk continued sounded completely defeated, "and she offered me everything back. For a price. I didn't care I told her yes. And just like that I was alone again, sitting back where I first fell. It took me ages to do everything right. Restart after restart it was hard to get the killing out of my system. I had to die and come back so many times I lost count. I finally figured out how to save everyone. The perfect series of events. But….when I did it. When I set everyone free….that night as the monsters finally got to see the stars…Chara came back. She took my body and slaughtered them all."

Alanna did not mean to gasp, but she did. Frisk flinched as if it were a blow.

"I reset, after she let go of my body. Everytime I got them out, sooner or later she would destroy them and anyone around her. I was always left with the consequences. She took a piece of my soul, and replaced it with her. She's here even now. She's just sleeping. The resets…they make her sleep for a while. But when she wakes up…she destroys everything." Frisk's words had become harder to understand as tears clogged their throat. "I'm the reason they can't have a happy ending. Because I was scared and I decided to hurt them instead of help."

"What…what can I do?" Alanna suddenly felt very young compared to Frisk.

"You can try to defeat her," Frisk's words were quiet. "We can beat her together. Then we can save them." Frisk shivered violently. "You can save them."

"How long have you been here?"

"I stopped trying to keep count a long time ago. I simply wait until she wakes up, then I reset again. I used to live only with Toriel, but I realized if I left without killing her Chara couldn't open the ruins to get back to her. So now I live with Sans and Papyrus."

"You were worried Chara had tried to talk to me." Alanna realized softly. Frisk nodded.

"You're bigger than me. Stronger probably. Chara could do much more with you than she can with me." Alanna reached out and put a hand on Frisk's shoulder, and they crumpled under her touch. It was almost too easy to guide the crying child into her arms.

"Chara hasn't spoken to me." Alanna soothed patting the child's back. It took them a while to sob themselves out. But finally after what had to be hours they calmed.

"Someone has talked to you." It was a statement.

Alanna nodded. "Yeah, but it wasn't named Chara."

"Who?" Alanna began to speak, but suddenly she felt static sweep over her skin. Something….someone was beating against her head. It was agony. She cried out as the static shaped itself into one thought. _Don't._

"Alanna?" Frisk was holding Alanna's face in their dirty sweaty hands, grit pushing into her skin as the feeling passed.

"Sorry," she muttered putting a free hand to her head. "Really bad headache. Might be from all the heat."

"Here," Frisk pulled themselves up, "let's get somewhere a bit cooler. Someone would probably like to meet you eventually." Alanna got up trying her hardest not to pay attention to the abundance of dirt that was clinging to her legs and clothes. Static still played at the edges of her hearing and for a brief moment, as Frisk pulled her toward a very large and imposing building labeled 'Lab', she swore she saw the flash of a cracked skeletal face.

Alanna's legs dragged as she stared slack-jawed at the now empty space that she had seen Gaster. It had only been for a fraction of a second, but even then it sent shivers racing across her overheated skin.

"Don't worry, it's not far." Frisk said pulling a bit harder. Alanna let herself be led forward tearing her gaze away from the empty space. It was the first time that she had seen Gaster outside of one of her dreams. Either she was going crazy from being locked in a cave with real-life monsters, or Gaster was real and was now bleeding into the real world. She made a mental note to demand answers from him when she slept tonight.


	20. Alphys

Alphys

A dull thudding knocked Alanna out of her train of thought as Frisk banged their little fist into the grey metal of the behemoth lab.

"O-oh!" A timid voice called out followed by the sound of several somethings scattering across the floor. "S-sorry just a second! I d-didn't expect any visitors today."

"It's just me Alphys!" Frisk called out.

"Frisk!" The excitement in her voice was evident. "Are you here for another a-anime fest?" The door hissed slightly as it slid aside to reveal a yellow scaled dinosaur monster. She almost looked like a triceratops in the face, a large yellow fringe almost playing the part of hair. Small wired glasses sat on her small snout, which was now wrinkling up with surprise and the smallest bit of fear. Clawed hands pulled nervously at a long white lab coat as her chocolate brown eyes flickered over Alanna's form like a nervous hummingbird.

"A-Ah….I-I didn't…." Her voice faltered and she took a step back. "F-F-F-Frisk w-w-w-who?"

Alanna held up her hands in a gesture of peace, trying to ignore the puff of dirt that fell from the motion.

"I didn't mean to startle you." She attempted to soothe.

Frisk looked slightly ashamed their eyes locked to the ground. " _I'm sorry."_ They instantly reverted back to signing. A sniffle followed. " _I wanted you to meet my friend._ "

There was a long moment where the three of them stood locked in place. Then almost mechanically Alphys began to move. She stepped slightly to the side and gestured with a heavily shaking hand.

"Y-You must be hot. P-P-Please come in."

"Thank you," Alanna said slowly walking past into the blessed cool air of the lab. It was interesting to say the least. Multiple screens lay dark on the side of one wall connected to some sort of control panel. There was a constant whirring as two separate escalators led to a different level. There was a well-worn couch, with snacks strewn about in front of a T.V. paused with some sort of anime in the middle of an action scene. Blue energy dominated the screen. The door quietly hissed shut, blocking out the heat that had been wafting in from behind.

"S-So…." Alphys said softly, almost expectantly to Frisk.

" _This is Alanna_ ," Frisk had a bright smile.

"She's a human," Alphys' voice was rather blunt, and she watched Alanna with an almost betrayed air.

"She's standing right here." Alanna said a bit forcefully. Alphys' ducked her head slightly and Frisk simply grinned at Alanna.

"Sorry," Frisk said with Alphys nodding at their words.

"H-how did you get here?" Alphys' clawed hands were lightly tapping together. A nervous habit, Alanna figured, she probably didn't see humans often.

"I fell." Alanna answered feeling nervous herself. Her eyes kept wandering to the t.v. wondering what was happening in the scene. Anime wasn't exactly her thing, but she used to be obsessed with InuYasha as a younger kid. Maybe she'd like it again.

" _Just like me_." Frisk signed before swinging their arms.

"Does anyone k-know she's here?" The yellow dinosaur woman glanced around almost nervously.

"Sans and Papyrus, plus most of Snowdin by now." I answered for Frisk. "I know you all have issues with humans."

"No!" Alphys' voice was stronger this time. She immediately ducked her head after the outburst. "I-I mean yeah, humans were the ones who….t-t-trapped us, uh, underground but not all humans have to be bad. Frisk isn't." From the corner of her eye Alanna noticed Frisk flinch slightly their expression falling before shifting into a neutral state. How horrible it must be for a little kid to have to shoulder all this tragedy. "I'm part of the human fan club."

"There's a human fan club?" Alanna struggled not to smile at the sheer strangeness of a human fan club.

"We have t-two members." She frowned slightly. "Did you go through Waterfall to get here?" She scurried quickly to the darkened screens even as Frisk shook their head.

Alanna followed behind her as she switched on the large screens. A house appeared, draped in a blanket of snow sparkling against the ambient lighting. It was the skeleton brothers house. Alphys made a sheepish sound before the scene began to rapidly change as different images of waterfall flashed by before it settled on a fish woman standing in front of a dummy. She looked incredible. Teal scales covered most of her body with a flash of red hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was talking to someone, but they had to be offscreen. One eye was covered by an eyepatch. She grinned to reveal shark-like teeth.

"Good." Alphys sighed slumping slightly in the seat she had taken.

" _Undyne_." Frisk signed.

"Oh," Alanna echoed them, "the one Papyrus described as murdery."

Just then there was a flash of light as Undyne suddenly summoned a spear made of glowing light just a shade or two lighter than her own skin. Even through the screen Alanna could see the way the energy crackled and sparked. Something about it made her want to push out with her own forbidden magic and create that glowing net of safety.

"Y-you shouldn't hang around Waterfall until you get introduced to her." Alphys said turning to Alanna. "It's, uh, dangerous for humans in the underground."

"Not for Frisk." Alanna pointed out remembering the first few weeks that she hid away.

"It was." Alphys said sadly. Alanna glanced to them and they immediately avoided eye contact. She wondered then how many times Frisk had to deal with her current predicament. Just a kid having to face death alone in a place where they could never escape. No wonder they listened to a rhetoric like 'kill or be killed', it probably felt like they were fighting for their life.

"Right." She mumbled tugging at a red strand of hair.

There was a long moment where everyone seemed to be lost in their thoughts. Alphys had taken to staring at Alanna in her oversized shorts and better fitted shirt. Alanna looked right back taking in her sunlight colored skin and the white lab coat she had on.

"So Alanna…" Alphys watched her closely, "h-h-how old are you? I haven't m-met many humans. You're bigger than Frisk."

Alanna bit back a bark of laughter. "Yeah, I'm bigger than Frisk." Even Frisk seemed amused by this. "I'm 22."

She instantly seemed to perk up. "Humans have a s-shorter lifespan than monsters right?" Frisk nodded yes before Alanna could ask what a normal monster lifespan was. "So what would that make you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Frisk is a child. So what are you considered?" She clarified. Her voice seemed to stabilize and lose its stutter when she was interested in something. Learning about humans as a species, Alanna supposed, could be exciting if you hadn't met many before.

"Young adult I suppose." Alanna thought back to her apartment, slightly bigger than she expected, standing empty. Had anyone noticed her missing? How long had she even been gone? Dying had distorted her sense of time.

"At 22?" That seemed to surprise Alphys. She automatically reached out to grab Alanna's hands. "That's s-so young compared to monsters. I wonder what your, uh, metabolism rate is compared to Frisk."

Alanna bit back a hiss as the blisters on her hands throbbed with the contact. Alphys seemed unaware, too excited about finding a human in a different stage of their lifecycle. A lot of the talk flew over Alanna's head, but she figured out that Alphys wanted to do tests on both her and Frisk to determine the biological differences age brought about in humans.

" _Alph_ ," Frisk interrupted, _"you should get to know Alanna too._ "

That caused an instant reaction in Alphys who blinked and then seemed to curl into herself shyly. "R-right."

"You don't have to." Alanna instantly attempted to placate her. "I'll do the tests for you."

"N-n-no, t-that's n-not…" Alphys took a deep breath and seemed to steady herself. "Do you like a-anime?" Alanna's eyes slid back to the screen frozen with blue energy. Even at the desk she currently sat behind there was a cat-girl figurine sat beside an unused pack of ramen.

"I used to watch it, but I stopped when I didn't have friends to talk about it with." She explained with a soft smile.

"Do you w-want to, uh, watch some with...me?"

Frisk looked ecstatic at the offer, and Alanna took that meant it was a genuine offer of friendship or a try at something friendly. The next few hours was filled with something called Mew Mew Kissy Cutie which was actually not that bad. They ended up snuggled up on the couch pausing every little while to discuss the implications of the story arc. Quickly Alphys seemed to relax actually talking to Alanna. She stopped looking at her like she was a experiment, or just a human.

" _Alanna, in the underground what would you want?"_ Frisk asked between bites of noodles. Alanna had quickly finished the ramen, already a pro at eating it from her college days.

"Hmm, physical or more like an idea?"

" _Physical."_ Frisk paired that with a wink and a little wiggle that would make a moldsmal proud. Alanna rolled her eyes already knowing Frisk's tendency to flirt with anything that moves. Literally.

"A hairbrush." She said reverently. "Clothes that fit."

"R-really? That's all?" Alphys suddenly looked guilty. Alanna frowned not wanting to ruin the relaxed mood.

"It's not a big deal. I'm happy that I was loaned anything." She backpedaled, but Alphys was already hopping off the couch.

"Come on, A-alanna." She said gingerly taking her hand avoiding the blisters.

Alphys had already asked how it happened and the best the three of them could come up with that it was an allergic reaction. She didn't feel the need to mention W. D. Gaster or the fact that he had appeared outside of her dreams if only for a moment. For all she knew being trapped underground was simply getting to her. Waking nightmares.

She led her upstairs and went to her closet quickly digging around in the back. "I-I got these for Undyne, but I chickened out when I tried to give them to her. You can, uh, have them if you want."

"I can't take them if they were a gift." Alanna said taking a step back, but Alphys ignored her refusal and placed a black shirt in her hands and then a pair of what looked to be slightly ripped up jeans. The kind that were all the rage a few years ago.

"Yes you can." That was firm and Alanna bit back any reply. "A-and here...I keep this here for Undyne but I can find another one." She held out a blue hairbrush with a cartoonish looking fish face drawn on the back. Alanna cried out at the sight of the hairbrush immediately clutching it to her chest in wonder.

"You really want me to have all this?" Alanna was embarrassed to feel her eyes burning slightly as tears threatened to show up. It was so nice. They were all so nice. Giving her what she needed like pillows, clothes, a home, and the wonderful hairbrush. Her stomach ached as if to underlie her point, but she ignored it.

"D-don't c-c-cry!" Alphys looked genuinely concerned. "Do you want to change?" This was softer as if she knew how close Alanna was to breaking down. Alanna simply nodded and Alphys took the escalator down.

"She's okay," Alanna heard faintly, "just changing real quick."

Alanna didn't waste time, already working on the knot she had created to keep the shorts up. It didn't take too long, and once she shrugged out of those and her shirt she sat on the floor slowly working on the knots in her hair.

It hurt. Each bit was slow going, and more than a few times she had to extract a bit of leaf or a twig from the snarled knots in her hair. She shed hair like no tomorrow worrying vaguely that she was leaving too many stray hairs around herself, but the feeling of finally working through the knots was worth it. Her hair had been wild, snarled and the overall look left her looking untamed...wild and not in a good way. She knew from this morning that she looked like death had fought with her and nearly won.

"It actually did win," she muttered between the tearing sounds of her working her hair back into order. She had to take a minute once she finally got the knots out. With her hair finally smoothed she ran her fingers through it a few of the tears from earlier finally falling. When she had gotten a better hold of herself she pulled on the jeans and was happy to find they were a single size bigger than what she needed. They stayed up on their own mostly, and she was sure she could fashion a belt out of something. The shirt was comfortable and fell just past her hips. Alanna gathered the stray hair she had shed, or at least as much as he could, and headed back downstairs. Frisk was the first to notice her.

" _Wow_." They stared at her for a solid minute. " _You look different._ " They finally signed reaching up to touch a few of the strands of her hair. Without the knots and dirt and debris it was actually quite light prone to being caught in the lightests of breezes or movement on her part.

"Y-y-you look n-n-n-" She cut herself off. "Good." She said finally. Alanna ducked her head trying to to blush at the reactions.

"It's just my hair brushed out."

" _You're pretty._ " Alanna would have brushed it off like earlier, but there was something earnest in their expression.

"Thank you," Alanna breathed.

"It's getting p-pretty late, guys." Alphys said looking pointedly to Frisk. They sighed heavily but moved to grab Alanna's backpack for her.

"Do you have a trash can?" Alanna asked showing the clumps of hair she had to rip out to get it to behave.

"I am a trash can." Alphys immediately answered. She blushed at her response but Alanna just laughed a bit. "If y-you don't mind…...uh…...can I use that hair? For….experiments?"

Alanna shrugged and held out the strands to her, which she immediately gathered up. "Don't forget you wanted to do more experiments later." That got her to smile rather largely.

"R-right."

Frisk tugged at her shirt holding out the backpack. Alanna stuffed the old clothes and brush into it before slinging it onto her back. Once outside Alanna remembered the sweltering heat as it seared her skin. Frisk snickered at her uncomfortable expression.

" _So do you like her?"_

"Of course!" She said smiling. "She's really sweet, and dang she knows her anime." Frisk nodded vigorously at that.

A little ways away from the lab Frisk stopped looking down at the patch of land in front of them. "Save." They said aloud, which caused Alanna to jump slightly. The grin they gave her was mischievous. Like every time Frisk decided it was okay to truly speak to her Alanna felt special.

"Yeah good idea." Alanna said standing about where Frisk had gestured. Alanna took in her surroundings like before. The dirt underneath her shoes was orange reminding her of the desert she had visited with her parents before she had decided to settle down on her own. Instead of being shifty though, it was hard-packed from what she imagined to be years and years of the monsters traversing the same paths. The heat was stifling and clung to her like a second skin making her long for the temperate climate of Waterfall. It was the kind of heat that killed the moisture in the mouth. Like an oven come to life. Imposing, leering over the mostly barren and hot landscape was what she knew now as Alphys' lab. The words lab were painted on the front in large red letters that fit the landscape.

For a moment there was nothing, and Alanna tried to remember what she felt when everything was dark. Sans had said it was determination that let her do these things. She rallied herself and was filled with determination to save the monsters once again.

The little two note run was music to her ears. **File Saved.**


	21. Panic! In the Real Snow

**Hello! Before you read any further I just wanted to thank you all for your continued support it means a lot to me. I'm giving you all an extra-long chapter! A few things before I go on. I have a Tumblr under the same pen name, you can join me on there if you want to see random stuff I like and be updated on my writing process or what's going on. I also created a discord server for people who want to talk about my fanfics or just talk to me in general are welcome to join. I'm always here for you guys. Truly. I have the link on my tumblr as well as on Ao3 where I post under the same name. You guys are a bit ahead of my archive folks, but I'm working on it.**

 **TLDR; Thank you guys. I have a tumblr and I made a discord chat. Feel free to hit me up about anything really. I'm here for anyone who needs it. Here's an extra-long chapter.**

"Okay, I did it." Alanna breathed happy to be able to move on from the area. Frisk began to walk back toward the landing for the Riverperson. "I hate the heat." She mumbled trudging onward.

" _Why_?" Frisk signed glancing over their shoulder.

"Heat is just…..how do I explain it." She mumbled running a hand through her hair in contemplation. She felt a small thrill that she could run it straight through without problems. "So, with the cold you can always put on more layers. Get a blanket or a fire. But with the heat there's only so many layers of clothing you can take off. It's not like I can rip my skin off to escape the heat."

" _Why don't you go swimming?"_ They suggested.

"Well that's one way, but how often do you have a swimming place and a change of clothes when you really need it?"

" _Yeah,_ " Frisk relented, " _cold is pretty fun. You can build snow skeletons."_

"Skeletons?" Alanna contemplated. "Wouldn't making the bones be hard?"

They reached the landing and Alanna was astonished to see the Riverperson waiting for them, turning their darkened pit of a gaze to her. She shivered slightly despite the heat. It wasn't that the Riverperson made her feel threatened, but something about them felt ancient. Like having an eldritch being take you for a taxi drive.

"How did they know?" She muttered without thinking.

" _I don't know. They're just always there when I need them."_ Frisk shrugged climbing into the boat.

Alanna slowly boarded feeling the boat bob underneath her added weight. The Riverperson watched her still.

"Where to?" They asked in that airy voice. Frisk elbowed Alanna to get her attention.

" _You have to talk to them eventually. Your turn to tell them."_

Alanna's mouth went dry. Damn heat, she thought ignoring the icy feeling that their gaze created. "Um," the Riverperson simply tilted their head as if to hear her better, "can you take us to Snowdin, please?"

"Please." They echoed. They hummed then, a soft and pleased sound. "We're off." The boat shifted almost of its own accord into the current.

" _You told Papyrus that we could have a slumber party."_ Frisk signed after getting Alanna's attention.

"Yeah, I thought he'd like that." Alanna said starting to smile. "You know we could tell scary stories, or pretty stories," she amended at Frisk's slight head shake, "teach you guys how to braid hair. We could paint nails and watch movies. Make fun food. I figured I'd go shopping for it tomorrow."

Frisk snickered. " _With what gold?"_

Oh. Right. All the gold she had collected from abashed monsters was gone now. Not that she had collected a lot but it was enough to get some groceries. "Well…." she mumbled.

"Tra la la." The Riverperson sang. "I should have worn more pants today." They half said half sang. "Tra la la."

" _Don't worry I've got plenty."_ Frisk grinned. " _I wanna help."_

For a moment the Riverperson's humming transformed into a familiar melody before it distorted and broke away. But the words of the song slowly began to surface in Alanna's mind. Frisk seemed to notice the shift in attention.

" _What?"_

"Oh," Alanna glanced to the Riverperson, "it's just….it sounded like a song I know." The humming fell silent as they leaned slightly toward her.

"Oh?" Even Frisk seemed disturbed by the quiet question they posed.

"Yeah," Alanna replied lamely.

"Would you like to sing it?" She could swear that the voice sounded like it was laughing in delight.

"Ah, I don't really sing-"

"You may have one question." They interjected softly. Frisk was frozen as was the boat it seemed easily sitting still in the current. After a moment Frisk nudged Alanna.

" _They never answered any of my questions this whole time."_ The magnitude that was conveyed in that sentence astounded Alanna. The whole time Frisk had been in the underground? Even through the resets and saves? " _Do it._ "

"But….I don't like singing in front of people." Alanna said shyly. The Riverperson simply waited. Somewhere on the bank of what looked to be Waterfall, something moved. Alanna was too transfixed staring into the darkness that was the Riverpersons face.

"Two questions." The voice had hardened slightly like that was their final offer. Frisk was squirming at her indecision.

Alanna sighed in defeat and took a small breath steadying her nerves. "Fine."

" _Yes!"_ Frisk nearly danced in joy.

Another sigh. Alanna looked up at that dark mass and slowly began to sing.

"It's getting late and I cannot seem to find my way home, tonight. Feels like I am falling down a rabbit hole...Falling for forever, wonderfully wandering alone." She quietly sang. The Riverperson seemed delighted and softly was humming along with her.

It felt...different. As if the world on the outside was melting away. Like their soft humming was cutting through her nerves so that she could sing the song like it was supposed to be. She hardly noticed when the boat began to lazily move through the stream, still at odds with the current around it.

"What would my head be like, if not for my shoulders, or without your smile may it follow you forever. May it never leave you to sleep in the stone, may we stay stay lost on our way home." In the corner of her vision she saw Frisk looking calmly between her and the bank. Frisk finally settled on staring at you a smile tugging at their lips.

"C'mon, c'mon with everything falling down around me, I'd like to believe in all the possibilities." Alanna let herself stop. The Riverperson she realized had moved very close to her, and the darkness dominated her vision. They had to be a few inches apart. She still couldn't see their face.

"Ah," they breathed and Alanna felt a shiver run through the core of her. They sounded disappointed she had stopped but moved slowly backward. "It's nice to hear music from above." They sighed. There was a small jolt and Alanna squeaked out in fear almost automatically reaching for her magic. She felt it flow through her for a moment before she worriedly let it go. The Riverperson watched her for a moment that felt almost infinite.

Frisk tapped Alanna and she broke the strange standoff between them by looking down at them. " _Ask what their name is."_ Frisk had already climbed out of the boat onto a snow-covered bank.

"Someone else needs me." The Riverperson told her with a small hum. It was strange, but she understood on some deep level that they wanted to be alone with her if she asked questions. They were for her to hear, not anyone else. She nodded and stepped out of the boat, happy to be back on solid ground.

"Have a good day." She said with a small smile.

"Tra la la," they sang without moving, "beware the man who speaks in hands." Alanna froze staring at them. "Do what you think is right." Their voice was so soft Alanna wondered if she had imagined it. They nodded slowly once and then pushed back into the stream humming their discordant songs until they had disappeared.

"You were supposed to ask a question!" Frisk whined out loud truding the familiar way home. Without her coat she could feel the cold sharply, but it was so much better with clothes that fit.

"I'm _going_ to ask two questions later." Alanna corrected with a small grin. "I didn't see you singing for an eldritch boatmaster."

"Eldritch?" Frisk asked softly.

" _water_ you two doing?"

Alanna nearly screamed when she realized Sans was just walking next to them as if he had been adventuring with them this whole day. Alanna belatedly laughed at the pun and Sans turned his lazy smile onto her, but it froze as did the rest of him.

His eyelights were locked onto Alanna, roaming in quick succession her hair, face, and her new clothes. Feeling slightly gawked at Alanna ducked her head and quickly began to head for the house hitching her backpack a bit higher. Frisk lagged behind with Sans.

"Staring is rude." Frisk snickered.

"heh, yeah you're right, kid. _eye see_ what i did wrong." He quipped back. "didn't realize our other human would be such a _vision_ in some new clothes."

Alanna walked faster knowing Sans wouldn't want to put forth the effort to catch up with Frisk by his side. It was late enough that the normal monsters who decided to walk around Snowdin were inside. The light had shifted fading by the second. By the time Alanna made it to the house its lights were the brightest thing around.

"HELLO NEW HUMAN!" Papyrus greeted her as soon as she crossed the threshold. A small part of her was sad to realize all the time they spent together was forgotten.

"Hey Paps. You can call me Alanna you know?" She added knocking the snow off her shoes before stepping into the warmth of the house. Papyrus rushed up to her sweeping her into an enthusiastic hug.

"WOWIE! YOU LOOK NICE." She automatically blushed. Papyrus didn't really do insincere compliments. "DID YOU DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR HAIR?" He added setting her back onto her feet.

"I brushed it." Alanna nodded pulling her backpack off and setting it in its usual spot underneath the side table.

"ARE YOU HUNGRY, I AM SURE THERE IS SOME LEFTOVERS FROM MY FAMOUS SPAGHETTI." It was so normal and comforting to hear him. Even if he had no idea how to control his volume, he still set her at ease like a balm to her soul.

"I already ate some ramen with Alphys." She said settling onto the couch.

"AH YES OF COURSE!" Papyrus sat next to her. "WAIT!" He suddenly twisted to face Alanna looking….well slack-jawed. "YOU KNOW ALPHYS?"

"Frisk introduced me."

"OH! IT IS GOOD THAT YOU ARE MAKING FRIENDS SO QUICKLY HUMAN!"

"Alanna." She corrected almost instantly.

"ALANNA." He corrected himself. She grinned at him, which caused the smallest dusting of orange to cross his cheeks.

"So do you mind if I cook dinner for us tomorrow? I know it's usually your thing but-" Papyrus cut through her quiet explanation stars shining in his eyes.

"ALANNA, YOU CAN COOK?" There was an unexpected burst of joy at Papyrus actually using her name on its own.

"Well...yeah...I've lived alone for like the last 5 years. I had to learn how to cook."

"five years." Sans repeated settling on the other side of Papyrus. Frisk sat against Alanna's legs happy to sprawl on the floor. "you would have been 17 or something like that."

"18," Alanna corrected, "my birthday is…." She paused. Technically it had already passed without celebration, but now that time had been reversed… "Probably in like a week or so?" She finished shrugging. "So it's almost been 5 years."

"Your birthday is soon?" Frisk asked aloud looking betrayed. "Like really?"

"Um, yeah." Alanna mumbled. "I haven't celebrated it in a long time." She added hoping that would help.

"NOT CELEBRATING A BIRTHDAY?" Papyrus seemed appalled. Even Sans was watching with interest.

"Can we not do the whole birthday thing?" It was getting hard to breathe. Roaring began in her ears, faint but quickly growing.

"Why?" Frisk demanded. Of course they would have very strong opinions on birthdays. They were ten or so at heart, age must be a strange thing to deal with when time was so fluid.

"Bad memories." Alanna tried her hardest not to remember. She felt herself curling up slightly as her mind scrambled to latch onto anything other than the memory. Phantom hands holding her wrists. The metallic taste of blood. A stinging slap for fighting back. Violation.

She couldn't be here anymore.

"But-"

"kid." Sans began but Alanna was already moving pushing out the door and into the cold. It wasn't enough to take her mind off of it, so she ran. She ran until she couldn't breathe, until her legs were burning so much they felt like they were on fire. Alanna pushed farther until she couldn't think past the pain of her body. The cold whipping past her. The fight to stay on her feet as the snow tried to slide underneath her.

Something popped into her way. There was no time to stop herself, only a brief flash of blue and then what should have been a collision. Except in a move that was strangely familiar, skeletal hands guided her momentum in a circle. She hardly got her legs underneath her before she was being crushed into a hug. For a moment confusion cut through her panic.

"breathe." It was a command. She tried to shake loose and the grip immediately went slack. She stumbled backward. It wasn't enough, nothing was enough to stop the torrent coming at her. She had avoided it. She had moved past that day without a thought about it. Too busy dealing with static laced dreams and monsters to really think about it.

Sans watched her warily, like a wild animal that was liable to lash out. Perhaps I should, Alanna thought angrily, it would serve him right for almost killing me. Anger and terror danced through her limbs, and without calling it her magic began to rise. Panic added to the mix she tried to stifle her magic, knowing that Toriel had warned against any monster knowing of it. Even so it filled her rushing through her body with the rage of that night. The need to protect herself. She looked up at Sans her anger bleeding through her expression.

"what the hell?" Sans' voice was harsher suddenly as his eye lights went out. "damn it." He muttered taking a step back into lax but vigilant stance.

The world began to flicker, and his eye ignited. Alanna screamed. Overwhelmed she watched as her soul came shining into view. She could see Sans' silver soul come into view and distantly like a death knell she could hear a manic song begin. She dropped into crouch and everything went hazy. As if she were watching from a very far distance she saw the confusion on Sans' face. Liquid silver lace burst from her body rolling into a shield around her. She had wrapped her arms around her head. It flowed around her slowly as if she were submerged in water. Sans' eye flickered out as he held his hands out showing he wasn't trying to hurt her. Off to the side Frisk and Papyrus appeared, Frisk being seated upon Papyrus' shoulders. She didn't care.

Fuck everything.

"hey, i'm sorry bud." Sans had moved closer, standing just outside of her shield. "you just startled me. your eyes changed colors." He said as if it explained it.

"BROTHER WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ALANNA?" Papyrus was actually yelling.

"Alanna, it's okay." Frisk was standing near another edge of her safety net. "Don't cry."

Alanna didn't realize she had been crying, but it made sense that's why her face was wet. She closed her eyes.

"paps i didn't mean to." She could feel that he was sparing her. Didn't need to read it.

"Your soul." Frisk breathed off to her left.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER SOUL SANS?"

"it was…." His voice faltered for a moment. "it was already like that."

"Alanna," something featherlight touched her shield to the left. It didn't feel like an attack but she was too far gone to care.

"it's magic." This was soft, almost amazed. "she's using magic."

There was a brief moment of quiet, the fluttering on her left ceased.

"naw, not like the mages." Sans answered some unspoken question.

"... _is it?"_ Faint words that were not words at all floated through her.

"i think she's using monster magic."

"HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE. ALANNA IS A HUMAN."

"a hybrid." Another flutter, this time in front of her. It was strange, like someone running their fingers just above her arm. "should be impossible but if she is then. fuck that's why her eyes.." He trailed off.

On her left she felt something flutter again. She could tell there was more force behind it, but it still hardly felt like she should notice it. A sharper feeling, and a small grunt.

" _It's soft till you hit it. I can't make it move."_ That strange not a voice said. She knew distantly that it was Frisk. " _Can you break it?"_

"don't want to hurt her." Was Sans' clipped reply.

"ALANNA HUMAN?" Another flutter. She wished she could cut off her hearing. "IT IS OKAY. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO COME OUT."

"what?"

"I WILL WAIT HERE AND GUARD YOU UNTIL YOU FEEL SAFE ENOUGH TO LEAVE. I AM A GREAT PROTECTOR AFTER ALL!" He boasted.

"bro."

"SANS, DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN ALPHYS HAD A PANIC ATTACK?"

Some part of Alanna wanted to know how Papyrus knew about panic attacks. Was that what this was? She hadn't had a really bad one in a while. Not since she moved to Ebbott.

"yeah."

"I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING LIKE THAT. YOU PROBABLY DID NOT HELP." He added.

"her eyes changed color."

" _She hasn't talked to her."_ Frisk 'said'. " _We talked about it today."_

"fuck." He sighed.

It fell silent, and that silence lasted a long time.

"FRISK YOU ARE SHIVERING."

" _I'm fine."_

"IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO GO BACK TO THE HOUSE. SANS WATCH OVER ALANNA. I'LL BE BACK."

" _No I want to stay!"_ A small struggle. " _Papyrus!"_

There was a hearty Nyeh heh heh that quickly faded into the distance. More silence.

"shit kid, i'm sorry. i didn't think."

"please come out."

"no need to be so _guarded_."

More silence. Snow shifting, and a flutter on her shield.

"when chara shows up...frisk's eyes turn red." It was a soft confession. "i saw your eyes change and…" There was unspoken pain there. A never ending cycle of being trapped and then slaughtered. The legacy that Frisk had created out of fear. The same legacy that they wanted her help in destroying. All they wanted was to save the monsters. Alanna knew that now.

Past the roaring in her mind she let herself spare him. The divide that had cleaved her consciousness between her body and soul blurred and then merged, bringing with it the cold and the burning of her body. Crouching for so long was hurting.

"hey," another flutter against her shield, "you know 'm not gonna hurt ya, right?"

She didn't respond but kept her barrier out, even as it started to ache the smallest bit. Like exercising a muscle that usually didn't get a workout.

There was a sigh followed by a larger flutter. It constantly told her something was pressed against her.

"heh. 's weird that it moves so much." Sans spoke filling the silence. "hard to get comfortable."

It wasn't for his comfort, Alanna thought weakly. It was easier to breathe now, without her soul hanging out in the open. She felt a strange type of shame, letting them see it. Letting them see this.

"don't worry kid," Sans yawned, "paps will be back soon. nothin' can get to ya. _snowbody_ would even try."

Alanna slowly cracked open her eyes and was surprised to see Sans sitting in the snow, his back propped against her barrier, head tilted back just enough that if he had his eyes open he would be able to see her.

"least paps is getting to do what he's always wanted to. closest he'll get to it right now…not that he'll know." Sans continued in that low voice. It could almost count as being soothing if not for the fact he had tried to attack her when she was having a panic attack. "you ever get to hear about his dream? bein' in the royal guard?"

"Yes," she answered softly. It was easier to talk to him about Papyrus. His eyes snapped open and locked onto her face.

"heh." He almost seemed to be laughing nervously. His eyes locked onto hers. "wanted to catch a human so bad. now he's got two."

"Why?" One word sentences seemed to be her limit for the moment.

"why does he have you two or why does he want to catch you?" Sans asked slipping into his normal lazy smile. He must be relaxing now that she had spoken. Maybe he really was afraid that she would never leave.

"Second." She clarified. The silver twisting and weaving around her was strangely comforting.

"probably not the best time to talk about it. might need more of an _open_ mind."

She bit her lip trying to stop the sharp retort in check. How Sans was able to joke in her darkest moments were beyond her. The thought of him worrying over her seemed idiotic.

"HUMAN ALANNA!" Papyrus was suddenly there as if he had never left. He must have ran there and back. The fit skeleton didn't even have the decency to look tired. "I HAVE RETURNED TO GUARD YOU. NO NEED TO FEAR FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL KEEP YOU SAFE!" He puffed up with his own praises, trying to use them to comfort her.

"Thank you." Speaking felt difficult. Alanna wanted nothing more than to fall asleep her energy depleting at a rapid rate. As if in response her shield shuttered as did her body. The stress of the past day almost overwhelming her again. Alanna felt as if her very veins were filled with lead, slowing her movements and making every moment more tiring than the last. Tears burned faintly and she used what energy she had to keep them at bay.

Papyrus was as good as his word. He simply stood watching around her with single minded focus. Moving every few minutes to check the perimeter around her. Sans went quiet once Papyrus had showed up.

Without warning her legs gave and dumped her into the snow. It was both a relief and painful. The world swayed around her, swimming with whites and blacks. Red and blue. She forced herself to slowly stand, noticing that the shield expanded without any real thought on her part to accommodate her as she stood.

Sans had been startled out of his resting place and was now standing and watching her. She stared him down, feeling her anger flare at his lazy grin. The soft light that her shield shed intensified for a moment. He simply watched her through the magic.

Alanna turned away from him, not ready to deal with that situation just yet, instead she looked to Papyrus who had stopped his guard routine to watch her patiently. A nervous but reassuring smile on his face.

Time for me to go back, she thought. The shield collapsed inward, brushing cool and tingling over her skin as it retreated back into her. Deep in her center there was a relief and ache. Alanna wondered in some distant part of her mind if using magic really was like using a muscle. If so hers must be atrophied.

"ARE YOU READY?"

Papyrus seemed so childlike all the time. It was a moment like this that made Alanna realize that perhaps it wasn't the truth. Excitable? Of course he was. He was so driven to reach his goals. It was so easy to take in the surface Papyrus and treat him like he had no idea of what was going on. Even Sans seemed to treat him as such. But Alanna saw the keen intelligence in his eyes, the understanding and patience, and she nearly laughed with how underestimated he was.

"Yeah, Paps. I'm ready."

"GOOD! DO NOT WORRY ALANNA I HAVE ALREADY PREPARED YOUR BED AND I GOT YOU A SPECIAL PRESENT TODAY!" He said walking at her pace. It took a moment but Sans appeared at her other side, watching his feet rather than looking at her. Her skin crawled slightly at how close he was, but she didn't want to make Papyrus upset. So she allowed it.

"IF YOU WANT," Papyrus was a bit louder than normal and Alanna automatically knew he was getting excited, "I CAN HELP YOU TRAIN."

"Train?" She noticed her own voice was scratchy, probably from screaming earlier.

"I WOULD SAY THAT YOU CAN TRAIN WITH UNDYNE AND MYSELF, BUT…"

"Her opinion is still murdery." Alanna finished for him.

"YES!" He sounded strangely excited about that. "DO NOT WORRY HUMAN, ONCE I TRAIN YOU WE CAN GO TO MEET HER. SHE WILL LOVE TO HAVE A SECOND HUMAN FRIEND ONCE SHE CHALLENGES YOU."

"you think you can help her, bro?" Sans asked.

"OF COURSE, MY TRAINING SKILLS ARE VERY GREAT!" Papyrus said with that all too familiar self-importance.

"I'd like that. I'm tired of hiding it." Alanna mumbled. Papyrus reached out and took her hand, and she felt such a burst of love for him she was surprised her own eyes didn't burst into stars.

"you hid it?"

"YOU ARE NOT VERY GOOD AT HIDING THINGS ALANNA." Papyrus said bluntly. The bones of his hand were warm and she found herself leaning toward him slightly.

"I guess not." She mumbled realizing that he didn't remember the long days of being attacked. How she came home scrapped up. How she never used her magic no matter how many times she wanted to.

Sans was watching her, and something in his expression made her think of puzzle pieces falling into place. Lots of them. His step stuttered, and she could see how his expression almost looked pained for a second before smoothing expertly over. She didn't care, she decided looking away from him. He shouldn't have attacked her.

He thought I was Chara, a little voice whispered in the back of her mind, he was probably scared. To have Chara, this evil thing take over a larger host. That was a scary thought.

"TRAINING SHALL BEGIN IN THE MORNING ALANNA!"

"What about the slumber party? I have to get ready." She asked not so subtly trying to get out of her first training session.

"YOU CAN GET READY AFTER! WE WILL NOT MAKE THIS A HARD SESSION." Papyrus beamed.


	22. The Hunter

**Okay, quick announcement. This chapter brings a new player into this game. This new person is Jarik4thwallbreaker's OC and will actually be a major part of Alanna's story from now on. Seeing as every special Undertale AU has a name, we have decided to collectively name our stories Interfusiontale. That will cover his OC as well as Alanna and all their adventures from here on out! I've decided I'm going to write multiple fics with Alanna and this new person. So each new story arc will have its own fic, unless you guys want us to keep it all under The Anomaly. Let us know what you think!**

 **I'm super excited to have him aboard, and I've honestly been waiting to reveal this new character for a while now!**

 **TLDR; New OC enters the ring! This AU is called Interfusiontale. This may span multiple fics or have a lot of fics shoved into this one. That's for you to decide! Yaaaaay!**

"YOU CAN GET READY AFTER! WE WILL NOT MAKE THIS A HARD SESSION." Papyrus beamed.

Not hard her ass.

By the time Papyrus is done drilling her on bringing up her shield her soul was aching and she was feeling strangely hot and cold at the same time. The night had passed without incident, and as much as she had expected to see her static laced friend and his drab grey room it just didn't happen. Papyrus woke her up way too early.

"FOCUS." Papyrus' voice cut through her train of thought. He sent a bone rumbling through the ground at her and she pushed herself above the attack before the weight of his 'special attack' dragged her back to the ground.

Alanna was pretty sure that he was mimicking someone else's training style. But she didn't have the energy to think about it too long.

"OKAY NOW, USE YOUR MAGIC." He prompted sending a quick wave of three bones. She threw out her shield just as they were about to hit, the first blow felt faintly like someone jabbing a finger into her chest, the second knocked the air out of her, the third tore through her magic like tissue paper. She didn't even have the sense to jump.

The bone slammed directly into her face, clipping her cheek and sending her spinning into the damp ground. Fog rolled over her, dancing along her skin and condensing in her hair. Alanna decided she didn't really like the fog covered area Papyrus had picked. She tried to push herself up but realized that her arms weren't obeying her. She tried a second time and managed to get to her feet, anger pulsing along with her new headache.

She pushed her hand into the ACT button and glanced at the options there. She had tried everything there but one. She wondered how exactly Papyrus would react to flirting. She shrugged, might as well.

"You're cute, Paps." She huffed out. Not her greatest pickup line, but then again she had never really been the romantic type.

He flushed orange. "OF COURSE!" He boasted readying another round of attacks. He certainly could be ruthless. "BEING SO GREAT MEANS THAT, OF COURSE, I AM ALSO CUTE!"

Right.

She threw up her shield and _pushed_ as hard as she could. One hit, then another, she grit her teeth. She had to get better if she wanted to save the monsters. Two hits were nothing. She had to get stronger. They needed her to get back out. She felt a spark in her soul, and for the briefest moment she swore she saw what looked like veins of red crawl into the shield. The bone shattered upon impact, and Alanna felt it like a light push against her soul. She couldn't help but grin widely at her sudden triumph.

"You must be great at other things too." She said with a small wink. Papyrus looked flustered.

"I -I THINK THAT'S ENOUGH FOR TODAY HUMAN." He glanced to his feet and she felt the soft relief of him sparing her. She spared him back and felt her soul settle back into its proper place. But with it came a deeper awareness of just how weak she felt.

When had she started shaking? She was drenched in a cold sweat and her head was hazy. The rush of their battle leaving her feeling….nauseous? Papyrus walked up to her and frowned reaching out to lightly touch her cheek. It burned and hurt with that little brush.

"OH GOODNESS, I DID NOT MEAN TO INJURE YOU!" Papyrus looked close to tears.

"It looks worse than it feels I'm sure." She lied smiling past the pain. Her head felt hollow.

"YOU SHOULD REST BEFORE GOING TO SHOP WITH FRISK." His eyes trailed over her shivering form. "YOU ALSO SHOULD TAKE A SHOWER, YOU ARE COVERED IN DUST."

Made sense with how much she had been falling. Who knew that Papyrus could just make you heavy. She had gotten so used to flying in battle that it had become a real hinderance when she couldn't anymore.

"Yeah."

"I WILL SEE YOU LATER!" He turned on heel and walked toward Waterfall."NYEH HEH HEH HEH!" She stood for a moment watching the fog billow around her. Flashes of hot and cold rushed through her as she began to move her mind spiraling out of its normal thought pattern.

Something tugged her away from her normal path, and she took a right before Grillby's, which she had been avoiding due to the high concentration of monsters that usually were going in and out of it, and found herself staring down the path at the Riverperson. They looked almost like they were waiting for her.

They lifted one long arm, draped in their deep blue robe, and beckoned her closer. Nearly delirious she walked to the bank.

"Tra la la." They sang moving in such a way she was sure they wanted her to get in. She pushed into the boat wobbling more than normal. They hummed happily and pushed out into the current. It wasn't until a few minutes of silence and movement that she realized they had never asked where she wanted to go.

They watched her closely, and she had the vauguest sense of expectation. That they were waiting for...something.

"Hello." She ventured shakily. She coughed a little and realized with a sinking stomach that she was getting sick. No wonder she felt so off. Maybe monster food could cure illness. She hoped so.

"Hello." The Riverperson hummed.

"I'm not quite feeling well, could we do the questions some other time?" More coughing and shivering.

"Tra la la." They sang softly. "Beware," Alanna felt her attention zero in on them and for a moment she felt as if they were drawing her out and guiding her attention, "of the Hunter who prowls through time."

The boat had stopped. Riverperson looked to her seriously, the dark pit for just a moment seemed darker than she had ever seen. Something ancient looking at her through a thousand eyes. It seemed to drive home their words.

"A hunter?" She asked leaning slightly closer.

"Beware." They warned. There was no singing, no humming. Only the warning which hung in the air like lead. There was a small jolt that she knew signaled that they were letting her off. "Tread lightly." They added as she pushed herself onto an unfamiliar shore. This wasn't a normal stop…

There was nothing but trees. But the Riverperson simply pointed in a direction and shoved off. She walked through for a good while until she suddenly broke through the treeline into a field of snow.

Alanna glanced around herself realizing that she had seen this area once before. The Ruins loomed to the side and she found herself touching the necklace Toriel had given her. She shook her head and began to walk toward the house, and was nearly tripped when Flowey suddenly burst from the ground nearly underfoot.

"Howdy!" They exclaimed in their childlike voice.

"I am not dealing with this right now." She growled trying to step past. Without warning a vine wrapped around her ankle. For a moment she expected the flicker of battle, but Flowey simply guided her backward until she stood in front of him again.

"I saw what you could do." This was said a bit...darker.

"Aren't you supposed to introduce yourself?" Alanna hated that his demeanor had knocked her off balance. Her head swam and she swayed slightly staring down at the flower. She tried to keep her expression blank, if not a little annoyed. Can't show fear to something like that, she told herself.

"Already did that, silly! Or do you not remember?" His smile twisted, sharpened, and Alanna realized the truth. He could remember.

"You know what's going on here. Don't you?" She asked a hysterical laugh bubbling up. Sans was wrong. There was another who knew exactly what was going on. Could see past the folds in time.

The smile they gave was pretty, the monstrous expression gone in an instant. "I could help."

Alanna stared at the bait they held out, and knew deep down that it was like making a deal with the devil.

"I'd rather die." She said so softly she could hardly hear herself. The smile shifted slightly anger making his eyes narrow.

"Together we could bring the underground to its knees. You're different. I saw what you could do." She felt fear begin to crawl up her back and without really meaning to she pulled on her magic. It filled her and the grin on the flower grew even wider. "See? What we will do with that power." Flowey sighed.

"You know my answer." She said sharply readying herself. She had a feeling Flowey didn't take rejection well. "I'd rather die than hurt them." She added in a smaller voice. Where had her confidence gone? All she could remember was the acidic feel of the last time he hit her. If Sans hadn't intervened….

"Die?" The flower whispered almost to itself. Slowly the smile grew brighter and brighter. "Why, that's a wonderful idea!" His smile began to twist and for a moment the world flickered, and then he made a small startled sound and forcefully sank through the ground just before two glowing green blades slammed into where he had been spraying ice with it's momentum.

Alanna jerked back quickly looking over toward the source of the strange energy blades. She hadn't seen that attack before. Further away, standing against the stark white of the snow was a hooded figure. Alanna frowned in confusion and felt a feather of fear. She had never seen this monster before. His clothes were tattered and looked well worn, like someone who travels constantly. A severe green glowing eye, slightly reminiscent of Sans', lit up half of a skeletal face. The other half was covered by a dark hood. Alanna didn't realize there were other skeletons in the Underground.

He moved with a purpose, rapidly closing the distance between them. Stopping a few yards away, Alanna took a step back without thought. He oozed danger, even more so than Flowey. Maybe even more than Sans. In his right hand more swords appeared and Alanna grit her teeth magic flaring with her fear.

"I have yet to see an anomaly like yourself. I better get rid of you before this world goes dark." His voice was deep and matter of fact.

"What do you mean...anomaly?" Alanna could hardly speak. "Who are you? What do you mean 'going dark'?" She braced herself for a fight...again. Her soul ached, as did her face and body. The world was already swaying. It was all too much. "Why does everyone want me dead?" She muttered to herself without thinking.

He pointed his arm toward her, eyes distant and unreachable. "I stop evil anomalies like you from destroying the timelines."

The world flickered, and Alanna felt herself separate in two. Weightless she automatically rose a small bit staring into his soul. It was oddly shaped. Like a soul had been split apart and seamlessly connected to another but upside down instead of normal so that he had two points on the top and the bottom. It was currently glowing a vivid shade of green.

Alanna focused in on him eyes wide and hands out for balance. "Listen," she said holding up her hands, "I don't know what you mean! I'm just a human who accidently fell down here. I'm not out to hurt anyone. I know that the magicians locked you guys down here, but I'm not like that."

"Don't try to lie to me." He sounded disgusted with her. He quickly shot off a volley of those green swords, which she tried her best to dodge. Already hurt from her training session she dodged the first few but had to bite back a scream as one sliced open her leg. She slammed out her shield and immediately felt a deep and resounding blow as another sword glanced off of it. The next shredded through it and she grunted throwing herself to the side just as the last sailed by her.

She glanced down to her leg, tears starting to fall as she surveyed the damage. It was cut deep. Deep enough she wondered if she could even use that leg now. Blood was rushing and falling to the ground steaming where it met the air.

Anger and hurt bloomed through Alanna. And despair.

"I-" her voice was cut off by a small sob as she curled inward a bit. It took her a moment to find her voice. "I'm not…" There was a death sentence in his eyes. "You don't know me." She whimpered. She spared him, as she had with Toriel and Papyrus and every other monster. She readied herself for battle tugging on her magic. It hurt this time, a rolling pain in her chest and an even deeper pain in her soul as she summoned it.

The world was starting to go black at the edges. She held on watching the stranger. He shot a few more at her shield, she managed to grit her teeth and survive those. It hurt to even keep it up.

"Sparing me? You really think pulling a trick like that will work? Already had a guy try that." Outside her shield she watched as a ring of the swords appeared. Every one of them pointed at her soul. "Fake tears don't work." He warned her. "I don't have time for it."

Alanna simply watched him for a moment Flowey's first message to her playing in her mind. The tears falling whether they were 'real' or not. Her leg burned, though it had faded slightly. Anger burned through her.

"Do you ever even listen to yourself?!" Alanna realized just a bit too late that she was yelling. "I thought monsters were compassionate. Every single one I've met has been, they only lashed out in fear. But this isn't fear." She hissed. "This isn't even hatred." Again she felt that spark, she was not going to give up. Determined she found herself shaking with it. Burning with it. "This is apathy. And that's not like them at all."

It would be so easy to try and strike out. She wanted to. She wanted to hit him so badly her hands spasmed into fists. Slowly those strange red veins began to crawl through the silver of her magic.

Flowey had said she'd give up. He'd said everyone learned eventually. Even little Frisk had given into this cycle of death and violence.

"I can't give in to fear. Or anger." She muttered to herself the darkness in her vision inching closer. "I won't be like them." She already knew murder wasn't an option for her. It wasn't just a choice. It was an inevitability.

She spared him. And she watched as his left fist clenched giving her a half covered expression of annoyance.

"You're right. I'm not like them. If anything I have become more and more like your kind."

She felt the stab of one of the blades into her shield before she realized that he had started to attack. With each ethereal blow she felt that burn in her chest weaken and weaken until it flickered out completely. The red fading from the silver.

She had lasted another round of attacks though. She found herself smiling slightly. Papyrus was going to be so proud. If she survived.

The stranger shook his head leveling that glowing green gaze on her. "Why don't you fight back?"

"You're obviously not going to believe anything I say. Why ask?" She growled as she spared him. Fuck this guy. She stubbornly set her jaw even as her barrier stuttered and died around her.

"Your barrier is gone and so far you have shown no offense. Let's say it's just my curiosity." He reached behind himself which seemed suspicious. Alanna lowered herself slightly, feeling a sick jolt of pain as her leg brushed the ground. "I'd like to know before I no longer can."

Exhaustion dragged at her. A glance at her health made her stop short. It had been slowly but surely ticking down. It took one look at the blood spattered around her to see why. She sank a little lower eyes heavy.

"I…" She looked at her soul. To everything that was her, floating and glowing in front of her body. She curled a hand over it and she felt the feverish heat surround her for a moment. "I don't want to." She breathed. Faintly she heard a strain of heavy sounding music, but her head was too cloudy to focus on it. "I can't…" More tears fell this time. "Why are you doing this? What did I do?" She began to softly sob curling into herself even more. "Why are you trying to kill me? Why does everyone want me dead?"

When she looked up to the stranger she watched as his body relaxed the smallest bit, his eye dimming. His arm drifted back to his side.

"You…who or what are you? Why are you in here?" It took Alanna a full minute to realize that he had acted rather than attacked. It took another minute before she could breathe.

"What the fuck do you mean?" Still angry. Yup, she was definitely still angry. "I fell! And don't you think it's a little late for introductions?" Her magic flared again causing such a deep ache that she groaned holding a hand to her soul. "I just wanted to help get you all out."

She wasn't sure if she was crying from despair, pain, or anger but it only seemed to fuel the pain in her chest. The darkness crept closer and brought with it a horrible dizziness. He sighed and fully relaxed.

"I have made a miscalculation. Last jump has me way on edge." He wasn't speaking to her. But she grit her teeth biting back a heated retort. She felt the relief of him sparing her and she took it feeling her body and soul reunite.

Immediately she screamed as the full pain of her leg made itself known, her weight dropped and the world went black.


	23. Recovery

Consciousness came back to Alanna slowly, but the first thing she was aware of was the sound of rushing water. Everything hurt, and she was hot, achy, and trapped.

She gasped jerking fully awake feeling her soul complain as she pulled her magic to her and created a shield before really opening her eyes. She was wrapped in something that smelled mostly like rich earth, and faintly like iron. She tried to push to her feet and was instantly back on her knees whimpering from the pain. It was bone deep. Her skin felt hot and tight like there was too much of her on the inside and she was in danger of splitting her own skin.

"You've been out for a while." A deep voice sounded. Alanna tensed up pushing herself into a defensive crouch. The thing wrapped around her loosened until it was hanging off her shoulders. They were in some sort of cave, in waterfall by the sound and feel of it. The stranger, the dangerous one, was sitting across from her his head tilted back to rest against the cave wall. She felt her breath catch when she realized that he wasn't just a skeleton. A small section on the right side of his face cut diagonally from his temple down to his chin was human looking. "You're safe for now. I've kept it that way. I know it doesn't make up for it."

"Who…" She glanced to the makeshift blanket that had been wrapped around her and realized she recognized it. The same cloak he had worn. Her leg was even bandaged up, though she had upset whatever stasis it had achieved as she could see blood seeping through. "Damn right it doesn't...you said it was a miscalculation?" She narrowed her eyes. "That was attempted murder. What is your problem? And you called _me_ evil."

He sat up slowly, then sighed. "I am sorry. I saw you talking with that annoying weed and I thought you were with him." He stood up and Alanna flinched her magic flaring. "I didn't want to see another bad end." He held out his hand and energy began to spark.

Alanna scrambled throwing herself sideways. Her body protested the quick movement but she rolled back to her feet only stumbling slightly.

"Sorry, I'm not attacking you. I'm just seeing if I'm able to leave." He raised his hands in submission. "See? No swords."

"Who are you?" Alanna asked slowly her magic collapsing back into her. "You said timelines...do you….know about….the time stuff? And you said you could leave? Do you know how to break the barrier? Or deal with…." She cut herself off. Chara was a subject better left to closer people.

"I'm….a traveler." He said shifting a little. "I know of the timeline yes. Yes I know how, but I can't. What was that last one?"

"I don't trust you enough to ask."

"Fair enough." He sighed.

Alanna watched him for a long moment and then pulled the cloak into her hands. Standing fully upright she slowly limped to him the constant fear having her magic curling just underneath her skin. She held it out to him hands shaking.

Slowly he took the cloak from her with a single brush of their hands. "Thank you. Well, I guess I should be going. You should be safe, mostly."

Alanna nearly hated herself for the quiet protest that spring from her lips. "Where do you have to go? You obviously didn't leave a moment ago….so…."

"Well it seems I have nothing to do here. So until I can leave I will go resupply and rest up."

"Do you have a place to rest?" Alanna wished beyond wishing that she could be different. But he had helped her, even if he was the reason she was so hurt it was taking almost all her effort to stand. She couldn't just….leave him if he needed help.

"It seems like a normal enough timeline. I'm sure the rain won't be too bad." He didn't even seem to be talking to her. More himself than anything.

Damn her heart. Damn her soul for being this way.

"No." She said clearly glaring at him. Sterling herself she grabbed a hold of his arm and began very slowly limping toward the exit of the cave.

He tugged her back suddenly, twisting her so that she began to fall, she fell into arms that he secured underneath her.

"Here," she could feel the rumble if his voice through his chest, "you don't need to be on that leg."

Alanna stared at him shocked her body tensing before she slowly let herself relax the smallest bit.

"Before we leave, out of curiosity, why didn't the food heal you?" He asked.

Wow he was close to her. She tried not to shiver and recoil from him.

"What food?" She asked softly.

"I tried giving you the last of my rations to heal you, but the most it did was heal a few scrapes."

"Oh." She glanced at her lap. "Things don't...really...work like that for me. Um, food does but I think I have to be awake?"

He sighed. "All right then. I guess we'll get more rations when we reach your destination. By the way where is that?"

"Snowdin? Umm I'm staying with a few friends and I'm sure that…" She trailed off biting her lip. "Ah…you can….stay with us…..till you can leave."

"Oh, well. I'm not quite sure about that. But you said Snowdin, right?" Alanna nodded as he began to walk. "Your friends," he said the word like it left a bad taste in his mouth, "they don't happen to be two annoying skeletons one tall and the other-"

"A dick?" Alanna muttered cutting him off.

"Ah, so you know them. Well if that's the case I can say that I do know a shortcut." He almost looked amused.

"From here?" She asked looking at the water around them. Bits of spray coated her skin and sparkled in her hair, leaving her a bit more damp and uncomfortable. "Also...you don't have to carry me. I can walk."

"You're not walking on that leg," He began.

"I can and I will if I so choose." She cut him off. Frustration for her situation and for her damnable need to help people even when it was obviously the stupid thing to do leached into her voice.

"Ah yes, you can choose to do it all you want." Alanna head swam suddenly and she found herself clinging to the stranger. "But for now I'm carrying you."

Cold brushed over her arms as she retorted. "I don't even know your name. Why should I let you carry me?" Alanna blinked when she realized that she recognized Snowdin around them.

"Because we're already here." He said in a deadpan.

"What the fuck." She whispered to herself. "Who are you? And…..What's your name?"

"Why do you want to know my name so badly?"

"Because that's what you learn when you meet people you unsociable prick. What's your name?"

"Well obviously it's prick." He began walking again.

"No that's what you are. What. Is. Your. Name?" Alanna growled ready to fight her way out of his arms.

He sighed. "Fine, if you really want to know so bad it's-"

"hey bud." Sans' voice cut through their small argument. "see you found my human. hope she's intact."

" _Your_ human?" Alanna hissed. "Fuck this. You," she said to the stranger, "put me down. Also you're welcome to stay here. You," she turned to Sans, "stay out of my way. My new friend is going to stay until he gets his feet back under him. No arguments. If you say so much as one no I'm going to use you to make a broth for my next bowl of soup. Understand?"

Alanna was absolutely done with smartass skeletons who had it out for her. Especially ones with glowing eyes.

Sans paused for a moment. He seemed to really look at her. "yeah. 's fine." He shrugged.

The stranger who was looking at Sans glanced to her for a moment before slowly lowering her down. The moment she out pressure onto her leg it buckled. Hands were suddenly holding up most of Alanna's bodyweight keeping her from wiping out in the snow.

"kid?"

"I'm 22." She muttered almost in reflex. "I….." She bit her lip as she pushed herself back onto her feet. She tasted blood but managed to get her footing. "I got it." She said taking a few steps toward the house. "I don't need help."

"Damn it." She hear the new prick mutter and then her world narrowed to a single point as her soul was gripped with magic. "Let me-"

Alanna instantly felt her magic charge then pulse out of her so strongly that she watched the snow around her blow back. The hold on her soul immediately was broken. As she fell back into the snow the stranger let out hissed curse.

"What the hell was that?" He shouted.

Alanna was holding her middle in horror, her soul already back in her chest. The stranger was….a few feet further away and holding his arm as if it had been injured.

"I was trying to help, thank you." He spoke in a raised voice which Alanna cringed away from. Sans watched her his face unreadable.

"I was scared and…" She began to explain.

He kept a hold of his arm and sighed. "Forget it." He tilted his head to Sans. "Help her."

"Neither of you get to touch me." It was a bit too shrill. Too fast. The stranger looked to Alanna for a second, then his gaze traveled slowly to Sans.

"ALANNA!" One second she was alone on the ground, the next she was crying out in pain as Papyrus swept her up into his arms. After a moment she curled into him a sob shaking out before she could stop it.

"Paps." She cried softly.

"YOU ARE HURT." He stated already taking her away from the two men. "COME HUMAN, WE SHOULD CLEAN YOU UP BEFORE I MAKE SOME OF MY WORLD FAMOUS PASTA!"

The warmth from the house was a nice change, but Alanna was unwilling to be put down just yet. Instead she clung to Papyrus sobbing as the past few days ripped its way out of her. Papyrus, it seemed, was content to walk her to the couch and sit keeping her in his arms.

"YOU ARE SAFE." Was all he said.

It took a decent amount of time for her to calm, and by the time she had she noticed that Sans had taken residence at the bottom of the stairs. His head was held in his hands looking like a strange statue depicting regret or grief.

"IT WOULD PROBABLY BE GOOD TO TAKE A SHOWER, HUMAN." She blinked up at Papyrus her eyes scratchy from the prolonged crying.

"nah bro," Sans immediately spoke.

"YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT, BROTHER! DIRTY SKELETONS GET BATH TIME. IT IS SURELY THE SAME WITH HUMANS."

" _cut_ that out." Papyrus sounded like he grit his teeth at the pun. "humans do need to be clean, but her leg isn't good for a shower." He moved then looking to her. His eyelights flashed slightly when he realized that she was looking directly at him. He averted his gaze looking to Papyrus instead. "maybe she can use a washcloth and clean up that way while we get her some food."

"WOWIE, THAT WAS ACTUALLY A GOOD IDEA!" Alanna snorted.

"i got the washcloth, you get her." Sans stood shoving his hands into his pockets as he headed into the laundry room.

"BE CAREFUL NOT TO HURT YOURSELF FURTHER UNTIL WE CAN FEED YOU. TRAINING IS GOOD BUT TRAINING TOO MUCH CAN HURT YOU." He chided. Oh, so that's what he thought. That this was just some training accident that happened when she left. Might as well leave it that way. While the prick of a stranger was responsible for her condition she was sure that he seemed remorseful. Not that he had actually said so.

Yet it was enough to sit and guard her in a cave for an entire day. To give her the last of his rations. He was an enigma to her. Somehow knowing about the timelines and able to leave, or so he said. He had said he hunted down anomalies. Was that what she was? Papyrus gathered her up standing to his impressive height keeping her cradled the entire time.

"DO YOU NEED HELP?"

Alanna immediately felt her entire body flush. "That's fine, I can do it."

"VERY WELL!"

She was promptly deposited in the bathroom where she sat staring down at her leg. After a few minutes she stripped out of her clothing. She stared at the bandages for a long moment. Sans had left her with a washcloth without her seeing him go into the bathroom, which she used to slowly rid herself of the blood and dirt.


	24. Dogpile

Her body was bruised in a million places, and her face had turned a sickly yellow green. There were little cuts decorating her arms and legs that she guessed was either from fighting or falling. Her leg was swollen but strangely clean looking around the bandage. The stranger must have cleaned and dressed her wound when he realized food wasn't working. She grabbed the oversized shorts and her other shirt and pulled them on happy to finally be inside and clean.

Frisk was sitting teary eyed on the couch with a large carton of fries on their lap when Alanna pulled herself out of the bathroom. At the sight of her limp the tears began to fall. Alanna tried her best not to seem pained as she made her way to Frisk. It wasn't very convincing seeing as she was using any available surface to relieve the pressure off her leg.

" _Sans got you these!"_ They signed. Alanna sat next to them and began to eat the food secretly happy that it wasn't pasta.

"They're not bad." Alanna said with a smile. Frisk watched carefully as she ate and began to smile through the tears.

"Its healing you." They said softly. "The bruise is gone." Tiny fingers brushed against her face which had, in fact, stopped throbbing. Alanna smiled at Frisk and they sat watching a rerun while she finished the fries. By the time she finished even her leg had stopped it's ache.

She tested it and found that she felt fine now. She unwound the bandages to see unmarred skin underneath. Alanna wondered how horrible the cut had looked before she started eating.

"I'm going to brush my hair." She announced. "Then yours." Frisk made a face.

It wasn't long before she was clean and sitting with Frisk in front of her as she worked a rather bad knot out of their hair. There was a knock at the door, and Alanna hopped up moving to the door. She cracked the door open to see a familiar cloaked figure.

"Oh, hi." She said pulling the door fully open and stepping to the side to let him in. Her whole body reacted to his presence her heart speeding up, skin flushing slightly, stomach rolling. She tried her best to ignore it. He walked past her scanning the house as he did so. Once his eyes landed on Frisk he stopped.

Alanna closed the door and tried not to be self conscious as she brushed past him to sit on the couch. She went back to tugging at the knots in their hair. After a minute of Frisk softly making sounds of complaint she noticed that he had turned to look at her instead of the child.

"Thank you for letting me stay here." He stepped further into the house looking around.

"Yeah." Alanna mumbled her hand going to touch her leg. Frisk looked at her in concern but she simply waved them off.

" _I'm supposed to go to Grillby's with MK."_ They signed sheepishly. Alanna wondered why she could almost 'hear' them now. She felt uncomfortable even thinking of the wording to ask what the sensation was let alone hearing the answer. She already felt like a freak because of the silver magic running underneath her skin.

"Go," She laughed. "Try not to get your hair so tangled."

Frisk nodded and bounded off, leaving Alanna looking down at her hands feeling awkward. All she could think of was the apathy in his eyes as he attacked. The feeling of his sword slicing through muscle and scraping bone. The green flame that was his eye.

He sat next to her but he never really seemed to keep still. Always looking around subtly as if he were checking out the house.

"You live here with them?" The sound of his voice caught her off guard and she jumped slightly.

"Um…" She shifted to look at him. "For now….I live in Ebbot. Moved there recently for a job but now…" She trailed off glancing at her hands.

"You moved to Ebbot." He looked over to Alanna. "When did you fall down here?"

"Ummm...with the time craziness or what Papyrus would think?" She asked softly.

"What the locals would think," he said shifting into a more relaxed position.

"Oh, uh four days including the one I spent…" She glanced at her leg. "Five if you count the day I spent with Toriel."

"Damn." he said to himself. "Just how many times have you all reset? This timelines's has been going on for a long long while." he looks around again.

"I uh…I only…...died once." Alanna said remembering her plight. "I've only been here a month and a half really. How do you know about the resets?"

"Im… just able to." He pushed himself up and looked around. Alanna sighed softly at the vague answer. He eventually stopped and stared in a single direction. He clenched his fist and tensed suddenly. "Did they kill…" He mumbled to himself. His eyes started to flare.

Alanna felt her own magic respond as she moved to her feet taking a few steps back. The sight of the glowing green eye made her stomach churn.

"Kill who?" She asked trying to force herself not to act so skittish.

"Everyone…. That monster better have an explanation for this." Alanna realized he was talking about Frisk the moment before he began to stalk toward the door.

She had slammed herself in front of him before she could be scared. She grabbed his arms glaring at him and digging in her heels.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked him through gritted teeth. He looked at her with a serious expression eyes looking determined.

"That monster had been the cause of so much chaos in the timelines! All forms, all versions have had the same choice. Kill or let live. I need to know why. Now move!"

"Who the fuck are you to judge them?" She snarled holding onto him tighter. Some protective instinct rising up to meet his fury. "What makes you entitled to know anything about them? We all have the damn choice to save or kill, as far as I've seen you pick the goddamn latter easier than they do."

He started to look irritated at Alanna. "My reasoning is my own. You know nothing of what I do or what I have done. The safety of monster kind is my objective." He pushed her arms away. "One way or another." He muttered trying to move past her.

There was a sharp earsplitting crack, and Alanna realized as her hand began to throb that she had slapped the stranger as hard as she possibly could. She had moved back into his path.

"You're right. I don't know you. But I do know them. These people are _mine_ you bastard, Frisk included. It's _my job_ to save them. I wouldn't trust someone as violent and cold hearted as you to be able to even conceive of an answer to this situation!"

He looked furious, and Alanna watched as his massive looking health bar ticked down a single point. Her mouth went dry. How had she never seen it before now?It was so large she wondered vaugly why she was left with only twenty. His eye flared brighter and yet he stood still. Staring at her.

"You…" He forced himself back a step and Alanna set herself more firmly expecting retaliation. "I see." He mumbled rubbing a hand over his face. "You sure they won't stab you in the back?"

"No, I'm sure it will be Chara that's going to do that." Alanna mumbled before realizing she had said the name aloud.

His eyes locked onto Alanna and she suddenly felt as if he were no longer after Frisk. "What did you just say?"

Alanna took a small step back. "Nothing. It's not important."

His expression shifted into fury. "You said her name." The way he spoke chilled her. "She's here?" He turned away from her his back to the door. "I think I will stay here for a bit." His voice was calm, but underneath she could feel a wave of black fury. He went to take a step and he simply vanished.

Alanna stared at the spot he was and earlier in the day suddenly made a terrible sense. She scrambled to shove her shoes on and darted out into the snow running headlong to Grillby's. No time to be scared she burst through the door and was instantly relieved to see Frisk sitting in a booth with Monster Kid. No stranger in sight.

There was a tense moment where the dog monster family stood their eyes locked onto her.

"I didn't think this out." Alanna mumbled to herself. They hadn't met her yet. None of them were used to her. She felt the world flicker and sighed as her soul appeared. At least she knew how to fight them all, though at the same time she was sure it was going to be much harder.

From the corner of the room she saw Frisk stand with a determined look but she simply shook her head.

" _Alanna?"_

With weightlessness she easily threw herself backward as Greater dog lunged at her. Outside she had plenty of room, and forced herself still as Doggo sliced at her with his blue sword which passed harmlessly through her. She rolled as two axes slammed down into the ground where she had just been, gasping as snow slid down her shirt. There was only a moment of action before she flew upwards to avoid the pounce of lesser dog.

"Greater Dog!" She called out earning more than a few tilted heads. "Here pup!" She beckoned. This was different than her fight with the stranger. She felt fine, there were no bruises slowing her down. No haze or fever.

Doggo swung blindly the blade passing through her motionless arm, in close quarters Dogamy and Dogaressa shot heart shaped energy projectiles at her which she ducked underneath. Lesser dog shot past a claw scraping her arm but otherwise missing her completely. Greater Dog bounded up to her looking excited but cautious.

Alanna immediately reached out and pet his head smiling despite the chaos.

"It's not moving!" Doggo whined. "What's there?"

Alanna pushed herself backwards flipping over Doggo to scratch his ears.

"Pat! Pot. Pat?" He yelped swinging out blindly. Alanna held still and pet him again once the blade had passed her. She felt his confusion and the soft feeling of him sparing her. After all why fight something you can't find? She spared him back and he scampered slightly away heading back toward Grillby's. She turned just in time to see the flash of an axe falling on her. She dove to the side only to see the second axe fall. That one was going to hit her.

There was a flash of green and she found herself looking into the dispassionate eyes of the stranger as he effortlessly held Dogamy back with a magical shield strapped to one arm.

"We can't have you die yet. I still need you for something." He said pushing Dogamy back with a fluid movement of his arm.

"What a gentleman." She grunted pushing herself up and over him flying over to pet Lesser Dog. She glared back at him as she did so. "Maybe I don't want to help an asshole like you." She said with a bravado she didn't feel.

"Right." His magic disappeared and he pushed his hands into his pockets in a stance that reminded her of Sans. "Royal guard!" He called out catching the attention of the four remaining dogs. "Stand down and leave this woman be! If you do not I promise you will regret it."

Some part of Alanna noticed his use of woman, not kid, and sighed in relief. The rest of her glared at him.

A chorus of growls met his announcement. Alanna ignored him and grabbed some snow off the ground quickly pushing it into a ball and throwing it for an excited Greater Dog.

"I don't need your help, Greenie." She called out jerking out of the way of another tackle from Lesser Dog.

There was a flash of his magic and she watched as the stranger easily knocked aside both axes with a green sword. "I have a name." He called as he jumped back.

"Not that you told me!" She called back ducking out of the way as Greater Dog dumped an entire pile of snow where she had been. Lesser Dog happened to be next to her so she reached out and ran a hand down his back. He looked at her with confused eyes. "I can handle it, Envy! Or are you always looking to hurt people?" She called out pleased with herself at the joke and insult. The fight had made her bold and angry. She wasn't sick or tired….well maybe a little out of breath, but she was starting to get tired of being scared of overconfident skeletons.

When she glanced over she saw the tail end of a kick that sent an axe flying out of the hands of Dogamy. "I'm not always looking for a fight, thank you very much!" He caught the handle of Dogaressa's axe mid-swing. "Don't make me hurt you mutts." He growled to them.

Distracted she felt teeth tear into her arm, but the pain muted as she shook Lesser Dog off. She forced herself to pet him again even when she wanted to push him away. Seeing the act of kindness even after he brought blood must have made him guilty. She felt him spare her and she immediately spared him back smiling before jerked out of the way of Greater Dog's weapon.

"From what I can hear you like swinging those swords, Link!" She slid near the stranger still trying to sidestep the pike.

"DAMMIT MY NAME IS COOPER!" He yelled as he kicked out toward Dogeressa. Alanna realized instantly that the kick would hurt her. They were hers. Magic blasted through her and expanded, but not around her. She watched in fascination as the silver of her magic bloomed around Dogeressa just a moment before she felt the strength he had put behind his kick shudder of over her.

Alanna didn't think to dodge any incoming attacks. "I didn't know I could do that." She mumbled to herself.

"Oh that is so much worse than hitting my toe." He grunted putting a hand to his leg.

Alanna let her shield collapse back into her and she found Dogaressa staring at her with wide eyes.

There was a small shudder and she felt the monster spare her. Followed quickly by Dogamy. Greater Dog lowered his pike staring at her. She felt him spare her too. It felt….special having all the dogs looking at her with some sort of newfound respect. She spared them back and felt her soul reconnect with her body. Weight back she landed lightly in the snow sucking in a quick breath at the pain in her arm. She glanced to the wound seeing rivlets of blood trailing down toward her fingertips. A gentle probe had her wincing and gritting her teeth. Just when she had healed everything too.


	25. Rainfall

"Sorry," She said after a moment to Cooper. "I didn't want you to hurt her." She added after a moment.

The dogs were still staring at her. Lesser dog had padded up to her whining slightly while looking at her arm. She immediately used her good one to run a hand down his head. He whined and lapped slightly at her good hand with his eyes on the wound.

"Don't worry about it. At least the mutts stopped." Lesser dog seemed to glare at him for that a growl rumbling through the tips of her fingers that rested on his head. Cooper ignored the look and walked to Alanna. "Now, I need you. Come with me somewhere private."

"Why should I?" She asked trying to hide her nervousness by petting Lesser Dog.

"Because I need information and I'm not taking no for an answer." He held out his hand. "Let's go."

"No." Alanna turned on heel and moved away from Grillby's noting that Frisk and MK were standing at the door with a living flame person standing directly behind them. The flame adjusted it's glasses. Frisk gave a thumbs up.

"We're going!"

Alanna felt a hand hit her shoulder and suddenly she was stumbling her head reeling as rain spattered over her. When she met a cave wall she felt the world stabilize around her.

"What the fuck is your problem?" She shouted hearing her voice echo back to her. Music too. Gentle and soothing a music box played somewhere nearby.

"All I need is for you to answer a few questions. That is it. Then I'll let you go and I'll leave." He was remarkably calm. Which only made Alanna angrier.

"No. I don't care what you want to know. This isn't right. You can't 'let me go' because you don't have me. You can't keep walking over me and trying to force me into situations." Alanna wasn't sure which direction to walk as she had never been to a part of the underground that rained, but she was sure she'd find her way back eventually. "If you could learn some semblance of being nice people might respond better." She said harshly. Alanna walked away from him but a soft sigh made her pause.

"Please answer my questions and I'll safely take you back to those skeletons' house." He stretched his arms out from the previous fight. "I'm sorry. I haven't had a good week at least. I'm a bit on edge and haven't had the time to _reCooperate_ from my travels."

Alanna let out a startled laugh at the pun. She sighed tilting her face up to let the rain drum against it.

"Fine. And you can rest with us still." She offered. "Just...no more trying to hurt people. Or taking me without permission." She said pointedly looking back at him. "This could be considered kidnapping. You've soaked my clothes and you ripped the only pair of pants that fit me." Alanna lowered herself to the ground groaning. "It took me so long of wandering around in oversized clothing. They never kept the cold away. And now I'm back to wearing _his_ pants. Which are now wet." She sighed.

"I'll pay you back for the clothes so you can get more. As for being wet come this way. The rain stops over here."

He waited till she got back onto her feet and began to lead her.

"What do you know of Chara?" He asked as they approached a statue that had an umbrella wedged in such a way that it kept the rain from falling on or in front of it. The music was louder here and she noticed that wedged in its lap was a music box.

"Not much," Alanna admitted. "Just that whatever Chara is, it was the thing that told Frisk to kill when they fell. And like a normal kid they listened to it. It doesn't help that most monsters lash out in fear." Alanna didn't need any prompting to settle herself under the umbrella. "Frisk killed everyone." Her voice sounded horrified and hollow.

"But as they did….that thing slowly took over their body till...when the underground was dead...they killed everything against Frisk's wishes. Left them in darkness wallowing in what they had done." Alanna shook her head sending droplets scattering. "It came back. And offered them a second chance...at a price. Now they lie dormant in Frisk, and once they fix everything and free the monsters….or if Frisk waits too long…it wakes up and kills everyone. When Frisk wakes back up they….go back. Reset I think. And it happens all over. They think I'll be able to stop it."

"So another dead end," he sighed. "Okay then. What's the current status of king Asgore and queen Toriel?" Alanna found herself staring at him her mouth opening in shock. "Are they alive?"

"Toriel is a queen?" Alanna fished out the necklace Toriel had given her. That same strange symbol that was etched in the doors to the ruins. She ran her fingertips over it thinking. "She's alive. I haven't met Asgore but I think he's alive."

"That's good I…" He trails off for a moment his gaze landing on the necklace. There was a long moment where he looked at her. "I'm happy to hear that." He leaned against the wall across from her and that green spark danced around his hand.

Alanna didn't flinch for once.

"I need a break." Something about the way he said it, made her heart break the smallest bit. He seemed to be in such pain. A million things unsaid dancing around him.

"Cooper?" Alanna asked watching the rain roll down his cloak. He had the human half of his face covered again. He perpetually seemed to be draped in shadow. The green light that served as an eye was downcast in thought.

"Yea?" He glanced up to her.

"Do you like omelets?"

"Omelets?" He looked curious now despite the rain and the sadness that seemed to hang over him.

"Yeah, before we uh….met…." She winced slightly. "I was supposed to be getting ready for a sleepover with Papyrus. I figured we could do that tonight. I was going to make omelets. You seem like you need some fresh food. Not...rations. It won't be magic though. Just my cooking…"

"Sure. I can eat and rest." He leaned back up walking over until he was standing in front of Alanna his hand outstretched. "I'm sure you're ready to go now."

She stared at his hand, which was skeletal, and slowly took it. He had that strange warmth that Sans and Papyrus had, like body heat but not. Their surroundings just suddenly changed. Her mind wanted to reject it but the dizziness she had started to expect wasn't nearly as bad. Alanna realized she was still seated and was now dripping water onto the floor of the house.

"Here we are." He said. "Safe and sound."

"Relatively." Alanna said letting go of his hand to push herself up. She padded into the bathroom and grabbed two towels and walked back out. "Here. You can also just take a shower if you'd like. I don't know what you do normally, but it helps me to rest if I'm clean." She told him holding out the towel to him.

He took the towel letting his hood drop back. She watched him for a moment toweling off her own hair.

"Thank you."


	26. Preparation

Alanna nodded absently trailing into the kitchen. She opened the fridge but there wasn't much to work with unless you wanted to make spaghetti.

"Great." She mumbled closing it again. "Shopping should be fun." She flexed her hand feeling the sickly pull of the dog bite. Her clothes were still damp but she figured that the walk to the store didn't take that long. Alanna sighed knowing she's have to find Frisk first seeing as gold was something she didn't have.

Well, she thought looking toward the couch, Frisk shouldn't be gone forever and it didn't seem to be getting dark. She sat in her normal spot kicking off her shoes and curling up into the seat.

She'd wait till Frisk came home or she was a little bit more dry. She left the towel around her shoulders using it as a makeshift blanket. She glanced back to check on Cooper and felt her face flush slightly. He had created two floating swords on which he had hung his cloak and shirt leaving him bare chested.

Alanna tried not to stare fumbling to find the remote to flick on the t.v. It didn't take long before MTT Network was filling the silence between them. She moved back to the bathroom grabbing her soiled clothes and going to wash them.

Once again her eyes fell onto him. His chest was, for the most part, human. Lean and muscular interrupted by sudden patches of skeleton. There was a small hole near where his heart should be. She shook her head forcing herself to go and place the clothes in the laundry.

"Oh," she muttered looking at the tear in her pants, "What did that asshole do to you? You were so young." She mourned putting them into the wash. "Maybe you can still be worn." She hung up the towel wrapped around her shoulder after a moment.

She started up the washing machine and walked back out. She heard a soft humming and found Cooper sitting against the very wall she had been impaled. Her eyes locked onto the spot her hand drifting to her stomach.

Without real warning Alanna noticed a bag floating in front of her face. She had a feeling she had zoned out. She reached out confused.

"What's this?" She asked looking to Cooper.

"I told you I would repay you." He said giving a slight smile. "There should be about 1000g in there. Should be more than enough for clothes." He looked to the side "... I think"

Alanna blinked. "Cooper that's way too much!" She said moving to hand him back the bag. "I don't need you to pay me back." She added.

"There will be no giving that back." He snapped. Alanna slightly retracted her hand and took a step back not quite knowing what to do. "You keep it, I have way more than enough." He added standing with a stretch. Alanna had never quite noticed until now that he was taller than she was. Most people were it seemed. "I'm gonna rest a bit." He brushed past her to go sit on the couch.

Feeling dismissed she stared at the room for a moment. The bag weighed heavily in her hands. She decided after a minute that it would be less awkward if she just got things done now. She lightly padded back to her shoes shoving them on in a quick practiced manner trying her best to ignore the fact that her 'bed' was now being used by Cooper.

She grabbed the ever-shifting coat that Toriel had given her tapping just below her collarbone to check that Toriel's necklace was still secured around her neck. She pulled on the fabric feeling it shift slightly as it settled around her. For a moment she watched as the fur lining shifted to a dull grey slightly amused at its antics. It seemed where she was determined the color of the fur, or at least as far as she could tell. It was always grey in Snowdin.

It wasn't long before she was out the door and regretting wearing wet clothes. She swore she could feel them getting stiffer as she trudged through the snow toward Beatrix's shop. Inside was better temperature wise, it was something else to see her mom friend staring at her in muted horror. One ear up and one pinned back. She tried to ignore the look and gave her a warm smile as she wandered about the shop grabbing a carton of eggs and a few peppers. Shredded cheese and some ham that was usually used in sandwiches but she knew world work. She hummed to herself as she moved around. That same melody she had heard Cooper hum flowed rather easily for only having heard it once. Or...had she? She continued humming the tune, but it twisted slightly like a different version of the same melody. Static played at the edges of her hearing and she suddenly felt as if she were being watched. She ignored the feeling looking at a small section of clothing that were labeled as Muffet Originals. None looked like they would really fit other than a little grey dress and some stockings that reminded her of Hotland. Even those looked like they would be a bit too big her but it was better than having a single outfit that was now torn.

"Thanks Cooper," she muttered darkly. "I finally had jeans and a comfy shirt and now I've gotta wear this." She continued to hum the melody heading to the register. Beatrix flattened her ears at the approach and her normally quivering nose went still.

"Hi," Alanna hedged setting her items down.

"Hello."

"I really like your store." Alanna said quietly. "It smells like cinnamon." Her ears quirked at that and her nose began a slow but steady beat.

"I sell homemade pastries." She quietly began to add up the items. She glanced up at Alanna when she got to the dress eyes going over her ramshackle and wet clothing. "You're the human who lives with those skeletons."

"One of them, yeah." She smiled. "I'm Alanna. Nice to meet you." She held out a hand. There was a small hesitation, just like the first time she offered her hand to Beatrix. After a moment her hand took hers and they shook. A tension flowed out of her and she frowned slightly looking at her hand.

"I'm Beatrix, and you're absolutely freezing." Her eyes went over her clothing again. "Um... I have a back room if you'd like to change now."

Mom friend. Alanna hid her amusement and nodded. "I should probably pay first."

"Oh! Right, that'll be 300 gold." The price would have made her cringe before but she glanced into the bad and counted out the money. Cooper had given her way too much, Alanna fretted. Beatrix bagged up her stuff and sat it behind the counter taking her to the back room. There was still a tension around her eyes, but just like every monster Alanna had met she was willing to try. They were so kind.

Alanna tried to change quickly her cheeks heated as she realized that she had simply taken the offer without thought. The clothes felt very much like the coat as she tried to tug it into place and by the time she had stopped fussing it fit perfectly.

"They have to make these with magic thread or something." She said twisting this way and that watching the dress flare out with the movement. It was cute she decided after a moment. She ducked out of the back room and blushed even brighter at Beatrix's excited clapping.

"Much better, here I can put your old clothes into this bag." She said holding out her hands. Alanna placed the damp clothes into her hands and she quickly shoved them into a different bag setting that next to her other bags. Alanna tugged on her coat, and felt it shift and lengthen. She ignored it and looked to Beatrix.

"Thank you." Alanna said grabbing the bags with a small smile. Beatrix waved as she stepped out the door. Alanna paused then looking down at herself with a sigh. Dresses really weren't her thing...but it was better than Sans clothes.

"Much better than looking like that asshole." She muttered heading slowly back home. It was cold, but the stockings actually did better than the basketball shorts. "I can't believe that he gave me so much." She grumbled. The snow began again as she walked and she let the fat flakes land on her hair and lashes. "Maybe I can just...sneak the rest back into his stuff."

" _Alanna!"_ There wasn't a voice but again she could hear….something like Frisk. She stopped and turned seeing them running toward her MK in tow. She stopped and grinned when MK slid past her not being able to stop himself in time. Frisk was instantly touching her arms and looking her over. They glanced at the bite-mark their eyebrows furrowing. " _What happened?"_

"Cooper just needed to ask some stuff. Didn't want an audience." Alanna shrugged. Frisk stared her down for a moment.

" _Who is Cooper?"_

"I…" Her words failed her for a moment. "I think he goes around to other…..timelines. Like not ours...and he tries to save them?"

" _What really happened?"_

"He asked some questions and that was it."

" _No. Before."_

Alanna felt her stomach cramp the smallest bit. She tried not to let it show on her face. She knew beyond a doubt that Frisk would tell Sans, and Sans would try to fight him. Frisk might try to fight him knowing their history.

"He saved me," the lie tasted like blood on her tongue. "Carried me back home. I mean, don't get me wrong he's a pushy...guy…" Alanna caught herself before she called him an asshole in front of Frisk. She should be a better role model. "..but he's okay."

Frisk nodded slowly. " _I like your dress."_ They tugged slightly at the hem with a small wink. Alanna laughed and bopped them on the head lightly. " _What?"_ They rubbed the spot with a small pout. " _It looks nice."_

"Thanks." Alanna began to walk again.

"Yo!" MK said walking on her right side. "You looked awesome before! Just like Undyne!"

" _Without spears."_ Even if she wasn't actively looking at Frisk she could hear them. Alanna decided that particular question could wait till later.

"Spears are cool."

" _Yeah, but Alanna didn't need them."_

Alanna laughed at the banter between the children. "Just like you, Frisk." That caused Frisk to blush slightly and duck their head.

"Dude! You wanna go make a snow fort?"

" _What about hanging out with Napstablook?"_ That was a new name.

"We can do that after!"

" _Okay yeah, let's go. Bye Alanna!"_ Frisk signed before they ran further ahead.


	27. Squabbles

Alanna continued on at her pace sure that her feet were going to freeze off. "Man I wish I had that much energy all the time." She began to hum again, and the static feeling played at the edges of her consciousness. Not overwhelming like when she had tried to tell Frisk about Gaster, more like he had just turned his attention to her as she sang. She shifted tunes and the feeling disappeared. She hummed the song she always heard around Papyrus. The bouncing song helped her mood and she was still humming it as she pushed the door open only fumbling with the bags for a second.

Cooper looked to her from his spot on the couch and immediately got up. "Need some help there?" Still shirtless she noticed trying not to blush. He moved closer to her and she forced herself to not shy away from him. Out of fear or embarrassment she wasn't sure. "You seem to be having trouble."

"Not really," she said trying to keep her eyes on his face. "But you're welcome to help anyways." She added with a small smile.

She would have to stop flinching every time he came near if Frisk was going to believe her. She wasn't sure how many times she had actually smiled at the guy, but considering she smiled at nearly everyone, it would be weird to treat him any differently.

"Here," he mumbled reaching out and grabbing all of the bags at once, his skin brushing against hers, "let me take them."

Alanna went to protest but was sidetracked at how close he had gotten. Faint music, like before with Sans and Papyrus, started up and she found herself truly looking at him as the music began to pulse. The more she focused on him the louder it got. It didn't sound anything like the monsters she had met before, not even the ever present music that she was sure denoted Snowdin. No this was...different. More like music from the surface. Something….someone singing….she could almost make it out.

Alanna had leaned toward him eyes locked onto him as she strained to hear what the singing was saying.

"What are you doing?" Alanna blinked and felt herself flush brilliantly as he leaned slightly away from her a curious dusting of green spreading over his face. "I'm gonna take these into the kitchen." He announced before walking away. With his departure the music once again became faint almost non-existent.

"What's wrong with me?" Alanna whispered running a hand over her face. "This place is making me crazy. No sane person would hear…" She sighed closing her eyes.

Maybe she was insane. It would explain monsters and time shenanigans. Maybe she was asleep. Having a dream about the missing orphan. She kept her eyes closed. It had to be a dream. She wasn't stuck underground where everyone who met her was either afraid or trying to kill her. It didn't make sense, none of it did. That was the charm of dreams though, you never realized things were odd till you wake up.

Without real warning she felt something soft and slightly heavy fall over her shoulders. Alanna jerked her eyes open to see Cooper near again. "You're probably a little cold." He moved back to the couch and she blinked. Then sighed.

"Crazy then," she decided keeping the blanket around her. "Thank you." She called to him going to put up the groceries.

The act struck her as strangely funny. In fact the whole situation was funny. She began to snicker as she placed the eggs and other items into the fridge, moving over plates of leftover spaghetti. By the time she had finished and was moving to take her wet clothes into the laundry room she had kept up a slight giggle. The guy who had recently kidnapped and before that tried to kill her thought she was too cold.

Cooper simply sat on the couch his eyes following her every once in a while as she moved around the house making sure she could find everything she needed for a sleepover. Eventually he got up and put his shirt back on.

"When will the others arrive?"

Alanna glanced to him biting her lip slightly to keep from laughing. "What, don't like our bonding time?" She snickered. "They usually filter in before the lights dim." She actually answered plopping onto the couch. She wondered if he would notice her trying to sneak the pouch back into a pocket of the cloak he was currently toying with. He finally pulled it on and adjusted the hood to only show the skeletal half of his face again.

"As much as I enjoy spending all this time with you, I don't really care for social gatherings. Never have."

"Running away?" She asked raising an eyebrow. She hated how easy it was for him to just...leave. As if she had the same luxury.

"I may take a long walk and come back later." He was already walking to the door.

"No shame in running." She lightly teased. "Everyone gets uncomfortable or scared sometimes. Have a nice _walk_." She said sarcastically.

"I'm not running from anything!" His response was harsher than she had expected and she felt a spark of real anger.

Alanna tilted her head slowly staring at him. "Then what do you call it? You don't have to be fast to run away." She looked back toward the tv. "It's not like it's hard for me too or anything. Who would have a hard time dealing with two people who have tried to kill her in the same house? It's _so easy_ to be around you both." She hissed her anger getting the better of her. "You don't see me taking long walks. But to each their own I guess."

"You want me to stay?" Alanna glanced back to see him staring at her annoyed. "If it's so hard to be around me then don't complain when I leave!"

"Any semblance of me trying to be kind is lost on you. Just leave. Forget I said anything." Alanna huffed slightly hurt. She hated she felt the need to be kind to him at all. He should have slept in the rain. She shouldn't cook for him. She shouldn't feel bad that he seemed so alone. Of course he was, he tried to kill people for no reason. No one would want to be around that.

"I will." He said turning on heel. One second he was there and the next he was gone. She grit her teeth.

"Asshole." She yelled after him. "I can't wait till he leaves. One less person to make my life more of a living hell!" She wasn't sure why it stung so badly. "He tried to kill me." She reminded herself. "People like that don't deserve my compassion. They don't…." She paused for a moment. "But then no one here would."

The feeling struck a chord in her. "Everyone's so scared. Trapped here with no way out. I'd have to kill to leave and I….I can't do that." Alanna let herself tilt until she was laying down. "Trapped." She muttered. "No way out. No way to stop it." Her throat felt swollen. "That's familiar." She muttered.


	28. Sleepover

Alanna wasn't sure when she fell asleep, but it was Papyrus who woke her up.

"SLEEPING ISN'T UNTIL THE END OF THE SLEEPOVER, ALANNA." She cracked an eye open to see a very excited Papyrus standing over her.

" _Yeah!"_ She 'heard' Frisk from behind him.

Alanna groaned and sat up chasing sleep from her limbs. "Okay okay." She mumbled. "I'm up."

"IT IS NIGHT ALANNA! FRISK SAID THAT IS WHEN SLEEPOVERS HAPPEN."

"Frisk is right." Alanna said smiling at her two excited friends. The underground wasn't so bad. "So what do you want to do first?"

" _What can we do?"_ Frisk asked.

"Well...we could play games. Watch movies. Braid hair…" This Alanna said then slowly looked to Papyrus. "Or teach to braid hair. "

" _Braiding hair?"_ Frisk asked hopefully.

"Yeah let's do that!" Alanna said trying to summon the proper tone for a sleepover.

Alanna carefully taught Papyrus a basic braid and he took to it easily. Eventually she was teaching him to French braid on Frisk's hair.

"HOW ARE YOU SO FAST?" He asked as Alanna finished up showing him how to use a small rubber band to keep the hair together.

"Practice, Paps. You'll be the greatest braider in no time."

" _I wanna try too!"_ Frisk bounced up and down.

"Don't you want to see your hair?"

Those were the magic words as Frisk darted up and went into the bathroom. There was a moment of silence followed by the most adorable giggle in the world. Frisk bounded back out grinning and Alanna slowly began showing them how to braid using bits of her own hair. It took them longer than Papyrus, but they eventually got it down. Soon enough she had Frisk and Papyrus conspiring to make some sort of braid out of her hair. She didn't mind, not even as they tugged and pulled.

There was a knock at the door and Frisk ran off to answer it. " _Stay put we're not done with your hair!"_ They signed. There was the sound of the door opening. Papyrus yanked on her hair just a bit too hard and she yelped.

"Hello." She instantly grit her teeth. Cooper.

"HELLO!" Papyrus boomed from behind her. "ALANNA HAS BEEN TEACHING US HOW TO BRAID HAIR!"

" _Hi._ " She heard the curt greeting from Frisk.

Alanna glanced toward the door and found herself staring into Cooper's eyes. For a moment she felt frozen unsure of what to feel. She looked away moving her head as little as possible while Papyrus continued to tug the strands of her hair.

" _Looking good so far."_ Frisk commented having moved behind her.

"You think?" She replied trying to make herself sound as cheerful as before. It almost sounded happy. Almost.

"I'd say it's not bad." Alanna glanced at him from the corner of her eye surprised. He moved to lean against the wall.

"Thanks." She mumbled looking forward again. Another sharp tug and Alanna yelped again but burst into laughter at her own outcry.

"MY APOLOGIES, ALANNA. WHO KNEW HAIR COULD BE SO SENSITIVE."

Alanna bit back more laughter for fear of him tugging wrong again. Frisk didn't. They burst into peals of laughter that made Alanna smile. Really smile. She didn't expect to have such affection for them. But here she was smiling at them like she would smile at a little sibling. It was almost too easy to let her guard down with Papyrus and Frisk fussing over her.

"Paps, hair isn't…." Alanna began. Frisk laughed louder. "It's not the hair itself." She managed without laughing.

"WHAT?"

"It's the skin it's attached to." She added breathlessly.

"SKIN IS WEIRD." He said poking her shoulder for good measure.

"Why is it weird?"

"IT IS COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY. I MEAN JUST LOOK AT SANS AND I. NO SKIN NEEDED. NOT TO MENTION THE HAIR, AND HOW IT CHANGES COLORS."

"You change colors." She said starting to tilt her head back to look at him.

"I AM NOT DONE!"

"Sorry," she said immediately sitting straight again. "You do though. I've seen it. You turn orange."

There was a moment of silence.

" _Like that."_ Frisk teased.

Alanna endured another minute of tugging. "DONE!" She slowly pushed herself up happy to be able to see more of the room with her mane out of the way. She glanced down at Frisk raising her eyebrows.

"Did he do good?" They nodded vigorously and then pointed to the bathroom. "All right. Hey you guys wanna eat after this?"

"FINALLY I WILL SEE YOUR COOKING PROWESS!" He beamed. She walked into the bathroom and looked at herself. Pale as always, but with her hair tugged back she could see her freckles more clearly. The rest was a complex set of interlocking french braids that Alanna felt her mouth pop open at.

"And so the student becomes the teacher." She said running her hands over it. "Papyrus it's great!" She called still staring. After a moment she exited glancing around the room. "So food?"

Frisk nodded grinning.

"Okay does anyone dislike ham or peppers?" She asked the room at large. "Or….eggs?"

Frisk shrugged looking more excited than normal. It might be because she was making something other than pasta. It wasn't fancy or anything, just something easy and good.

"I like just 'bout anything." Cooper spoke up from his position on the wall.

"If I had my own kitchen I could make something so much better." She sighed. "Like a full breakfast for dinner." She hadn't realized she had begun to talk directly to Cooper until she had finished. Damn she was supposed to be mostly ignoring him.

"I won't complain. I haven't had a home cooked meal in…" He paused and after a moment he looked upset. "It's been a long time."

Alanna took a half step toward him, going to comfort him, before she realized that she shouldn't. For so many reasons.

"Well….I can do that at least." She said moving to the kitchen. She had watched or helped Papyrus enough to know where the utensils were. It didn't take her long to have the pan heating while she quickly cut up the peppers into small bits. The ham she also diced. Papyrus was yelling about her technique, but she hardly paid attention to him as she worked. She began humming the song she swore she hadn't heard before, but somehow knew. Static hissed at the edges of her hearing and she could almost swear it was talking to her.

 _Soon._ It whispered and the static swept down her arms like a caress. She could almost imagine his face, cracked and watching her from shadows that were too dark to be shadows.

"How's it going in here?" Cooper's voice sounded from behind her. She glanced back tossing him a small smile.

"Okay, would you like cheese with yours?" She added shaking the bag of shredded cheese at him. "I normally do. Makes it great." She sighed dreamily glancing back to the pan.

"Sure I'll take some."

"Good it's almost done." She added the cheese and after a minute folded the omelette onto a plate for him. She put a fork on the side and turned to him, noticing that he was looking around. "Here Cooper. You first."

"Thank you," he said distractedly.

"No problem." She said going back to humming and cracking new eggs into a bowl she had placed on the side. More static and this time for a moment it felt as if something were right next to her ear. There was a sound that was so faint and so strange she couldn't call it speaking, but the word resolved itself in her mind anyways.

"Careful."

Alanna shuddered turning slightly to the voice but he wasn't there. Gaster truly was invading her waking world.

"So how are you feeling?" Cooper had taken it upon himself to eat in the doorway. "Wanna make sure you're okay after everything today."

"I…" She sighed heavily. "I don't have any other option but to be okay." She admitted strangely blunt and truthful. "I have to move on and help them. They deserve to be freed, no matter what. How I feel isn't a part of it. I'll have time to be traumatized later."

Or she was going even more insane than she was already. With Gaster and Chara and Cooper she was starting to feel like she had to deal with all the strange people of the underground.

"Oh…" He sounded surprised. "Um...not what I expected." He sat his plate down mostly eaten but not all. She poured the peppers, egg, and ham mixture into the pan. He looked concerned.

"Oh, is it not good?" She frowned at the mixture.

"No, it's good." He rubbed his head a bit. "I'm sorry you feel like that."

"Before I fell someone truly trying to physically hurt me only happened a few times. Only succeeded in truly scarring me once. Now it's about every day. I don't know how Frisk deals with it." She whispered. "But how I feel has to pale in comparison to being trapped here for so long. To never see the sun. Or to know about the ocean. Always having a limit to your sky." She shrugged. "They deserve to be free, fear be damned."

She looked to him to see him staring again. Why she was spilling how she really felt to Cooper of all people was beyond her. "I see," he said picking his plate back up. She went back to cooking adding cheese to the next omelet. "It's good to know we have an actually good human." She heard him walk past her to out his plate in the sink. As he walked back past she felt shivers run down her spine. "Be careful though." He said as he passed her.

Gaster would agree with that, she thought going back to cooking. It wasn't long before both Papyrus and Frisk were animatedly eating while watching a Mettaton special. Alanna had made an extra plate for Sans and sat it in the microwave to keep it warm should he show up. Frisk knew every word. How many times has Frisk watched this movie, Alanna scooped a bite into her mouth. They seemed to know every word, every musical change.

Alanna sat in her usual seat between the two, but Frisk had decided to crawl into her lap patting the seat next to Alanna and staring at Cooper. After a small standoff Cooper moved to sit next to her.

They were rather close nearly pressed side to side. Frisk looked between the two for a moment and then slowly looked to Alanna. They wiggled their eyebrows suggestively. Alanna rolled her eyes and watched the screen. Eventually after three movies that Alanna didn't really pay attention to, she noticed that Frisk and Papyrus were asleep. She smirked at the cute sight of Frisk curled up in her lap only spilling over to Papyrus a little. Papyrus had collapsed onto the side of the couch, one of his hands resting against Alanna as well.

"My dorks are lightweights," she mumbled to herself before carefully shaking them awake. Both were groggy as she shooed them upstairs. After they were safely in their room she pushed herself up and began finishing out blankets layering them on the floor out of the way of normal foot traffic. She dropped her pillow onto the head of it and grabbed the last remaining blanket for herself. The same one Cooper had placed on her earlier when she was cold.

"I made you a place to sleep. They shouldn't bother you too much there." She added.

Alanna didn't quite wait for an answer as she went to grab the omelet she had made for Sans to put it into the fridge, but froze when she noticed that it was gone. "Sneaky ass," she muttered going instead to do the dishes. "He can clean his own plate then." She said realizing it wasn't there.

"Thank you." Cooper. It was soft but Alanna smiled at his voice.

"It's no problem." She said a bit louder so he would hear. She went back to humming letting melodies flow together and mesh. She liked humming the music she could hear in waterfall which would then shift to Snowdin then a song from the surface. Anything to keep her mind occupied as she scrubbed down the dishes.

Once that was done she sighed going to grab her coat and throw it on. Cooper she noticed had went to his homemade bed. With his face turned away from her she could only imagine that he had fallen asleep with how still he was. She tried to be a bit quieter as she slipped outside trudging through the snow and into the night. It wasn't long before she came upon the place Frisk and Papyrus had carried her. She closed her eyes for a moment trying to expand her awareness like all the times before.

Snowdin was quiet at night. The loudest sounds being the wind and her own shifting weight in the snow. It was cold as always. The kind of cold that danced along the skin to it's own music. When she opened her eyes she studied the warmth of the yellow lights. In the distance she could see the tree, lit up and blinking like a lone beacon in the semi-darkness.

 **File Saved.** The two tones made the soft ambient music of Snowdin more apparent to Alanna. She breathed in the night for a moment taking it in.

"Can you see them?" Alanna jerked slightly but forced herself to relax as she realized it was Cooper.

"No," she sighed looking just to make sure. "Frisk said they look like star."

"I see," he said walking up next to Alanna and staring at a spot a little to the left of her. "Little stars." He reached out to put his hand near the space. She watched him trying to focus harder on the spot, but it was just open air to her.

"Yeah, Frisk says that they heal you. But they never have for me." Maybe she was supposed to die here, the morbid thought crossed her mind.

"I can save but that is about it. I have only died once." He watched the spot a bit more. "Luckily someone I knew explained to me the importance of these little spots beforehand."

"I did it accidently when I was being carried by Toriel in the ruins." Alanna said keeping her eyes on the spot. "Frisk made me save after Sans nearly killed me. I was bleeding out and they wanted it to heal me. Instead when….someone killed me later….I woke up bleeding out again." Her hands drifted to her stomach.

"That's horrible. Getting hit by Sans can be a real mess." He stood back up straight and stretched. "You would think that a lazy bones like him would be a pushover, however it is quite the opposite. I would say he is one of the most powerful monsters I have ever fought."

"I didn't fight him. Didn't really get to see what happened. It was just me helping Paps and then something grabbed my soul. He slammed me into a wall and then…" She gripped her middle tighter. "My first day in Snowdin." She shrugged. "He hasn't done that again at least. Kinda…"

He gave her a curious glance. "Kinda?"

"He tried to fight me the night before we….met." She winced slightly. "So I used my...magic for the second time. Also maybe had a panic attack but…" She said a bit too flippantly.

"You've had a bad time huh?" He kicked some snow off of his shoes. "Humans always seem to have horrible experiences here."

"Not all of them are bad." Alanna was quiet turning her face up to let the snow brush against her face.

"Oh? What good moments have you had?"

"You saw one just a little bit ago. When I first saw Waterfall." She began to list. "Meeting Papyrus. When Beatrix gave me a Cinnamon Bun just because. Building snowmen with Papyrus and Frisk. Almost beating Sans in a pun-off. Knowing Toriel." She glanced up to him.

He had been staring at her looking like she had his undivided attention. When she seemed like she was finished he gave a small smirk.

"I see. Sounds like it really isn't all bad." He brushed off his cloak and turned back toward the house. "You don't stay out here too long. Ok?"

"Yeah, yeah," Alanna waved his concern away and took to simply breathing in the calm of the night. After a while that felt both short and long she moved to go back inside shivering from the prolonged exposure to the cold.

She crept back into the house, which had grown even quieter during the night. She ducked into the laundry room changing back into the now clean shorts and shirt. Even without her pillow it didn't take long for Alanna to fall asleep.


	29. Recruitment

**Hey guys. Sorry if this update is a little late. I've been super sick for the past week. Still am, but I convinced myself to do something this time. I really hope you guys are liking it so far. I'm gonna have a little heart to heart real quick. It might be because of me being sick but it seems like a good idea right now. I started this fic as a fun little 'what if' scenario, but it has surpassed that by a long shot at this point. It's evolved and changed and has grown more than I expected. I am sorry that Alanna gets beaten up more than other protagonists in other fics. I've always imagined the underground as a very dangerous place.**

 **Also regarding Cooper. At this point in the story we know nothing about him. Alanna has no clue. She won't find out for a while. It's hard to drag a story out of an unwilling person. Someone used to silence and distance. I love Cooper's character, but I know that for you all you know absolutely nothing other than what is shown. It's supposed to be that way. For us to learn the story right out the gate without having to break down his barriers is just too convenient for me.**

 **I've worked really hard on this fic. But even with some hard work it's not going to be absolutely perfect. While I love writing fanfictions, and how much I love you guys as my readers, this is still a hobby for me. I have to adult a lot. I hate that but it's true. So does my co-writer. So sometimes I may update a little slow but I've really been trying.**

 **I know this is pretty long. I usually don't do this, but I felt this needed to be said. I still appreciate every view. Every follow and favorite. I read every review the moment I get the notification. Honestly life has been really hard lately, and seeing the support from you guys is what can make my day good. I've been working on having a Positive Mental Attitude about life and having you guys helps a lot, but I'm not perfect. I have bad days. So thank you from the bottom of my heart. I do appreciate every review. It means that someone took the time out of their day to talk to me. Tell me something about what I've written. Every view makes me happier.**

 **Sorry this was so long. Love you all.**

 **TLDR; I'm sick so the update is late. Writing is hard. Life is harder. I love you guys. Thank you for the reviews, favorites, follows, and views.**

The grey room again. Static played over her feeling stronger than ever before.

"Ah, Alanna." The voice was smooth and familiar. She turned to face Gaster almost used to the sight of his cracked and wispy form by now. "I was wondering when you would come. We have something to discuss."

"Hi." She said wandering over to him. The air felt heavy, thick like she was wading through water rather than air. "I saw you." Something felt different. He felt different. The facade he wore before seemed to have dropped. Instead of the friendly monster he seemed...sharp. Perceptive. Something in his face made her stomach uneasy.

"That Hunter will bring us nothing but trouble. You want to save them, correct?" He had his hands steepled staring her down with those dark eyesockets. From the corners of her vision the walls flickered, showing a vast expanse of darkness. It was black, but not. It was darker than black. Dark, darker, yet darker it went on forever. The sight made her want to scream. She didn't realize she had until Gaster stepped directly in front of her taking up her vision. It was so big. So empty and yet so full. A paradox filled with contradictions and her mind was trying to reject it. It took her a minute to be able to breathe properly. Another minute to answer.

"Of course." Her voice only shook a little.

"You won't be able to the way you are now. You could hardly hold your own against a pack of mutts, what makes you think you can fight Chara?"

"Fight Chara?"

"Can you think of an alternative?" Gaster flowed even closer, looming over her while wisps of his darkness curled and caressed her skin. She tried to jerk back but he was still there as if she hadn't moved in the first place. "How do you stop a creature that can slaughter an entire timeline only to ride its host back in time to do it all again. With no way to separate it unwillingly from that host."

"Frisk," Alanna breathed in horror.

"Yes." He moved around her like a shark circling prey. "The host is unable to stop this cycle. In fact, no monster in the underground can stop this cycle. Nor can I. But you, dear, with that determined soul of yours we could beat the killer at her own game. Save all monsters."

"I couldn't kill Frisk."

"Of course you can. They would want it this way. You'll be a hero."

"I can't." Alanna insisted.

"Would you rather leave them to their fate? All of those lives washed away in a parade of dust and violence." He seemed a bit more strained as he spoke. The darkness curled closer still. She shivered. "You're human, there must have been tragedy you've seen or learned about. Horrible things. You must have thought to yourself that if you could have stopped something like that…" The words teased her mind.

"Well," she said her tone already admitting he was right, "anybody would."

"You have the opportunity." He spread his hands before her. Inviting.

"I don't think I could ever-" A sudden pain as something slammed into her side.

"You do not have a choice in this." His voice was empty and dark like the place outside the grey walls. "There are lives on the line. If this continues nothing will be able to fix what will break." He pulled his hand away from her side going back into the calm demeanor.

"What the hell?" She screamed at him holding her side.

"Pain is a great motivator." He explained as if that made it okay. Maybe in his eyes it did. "If you do not commit to this. Learn to fight properly, there will be no end to this destruction. The pain you have felt at their hands will be nothing compared to the endless misery will be their fate. Eventually the resets and pain will twist your timeline, shift them into something….truly monstrous. It has happened in other timelines."

"But what if I can't…" Sadness and terror competed for dominance.

"I will train you. Take you on as my apprentice. By the end, we will have the monsters freed. You're the only one who can save over Chara's death." Gaster was nearly purring. And...it made sense. It really did. Was there no other way to stop this? Even Frisk had told her that she could be the one that saved them. Gaster was saying she was the only one who could.

"I…" Her side throbbed but she found herself watching him. "I can try."

"Good." He swirled away a little bit. "Let's begin."

Alanna didn't see the blow coming, one second she was looking to Gaster and the next she was being flung into one of the walls. Her chest was burning, needles of pain shivering over the site where he hit her.

"Rule one." His voice was utterly calm. "Always know what is around you."

Alanna hissed pushing herself halfway up.

"Repeat the lesson." He ordered.

"Always know what's around me." She gasped not able to get in a full breath.

"Get up." Alanna listened feeling tears spring to her eyes. Everything felt real here. She was so tired of being in pain. "Again."

Another hit, from a different direction. Something crunched with the blow. Alanna screamed….and so it went.

Alanna exhaustedly kept an eye on the room, there was the slightest movement and she immediately moved to the side, only to drop as another dark wisp shot for her head.

"That Hunter." Gaster sounded amused and annoyed all at once. "Lesson over, for now."

"What do you-"

"Hey. Wake up!" Alanna felt the room melt away and jerked upright with Cooper's hand on her shoulder.

"What?" She groaned feeling relief at the sight of her familiar surroundings. Her side ached fiercely just as it had in the grey room.

"You tried giving this back." He laid the coin pouch on the couch. "I told you not to do it."

"You gave me way too much, Cooper." She huffed trying to hide her wince as she shifted. "I used what I needed and now I'm fine."

He watched Alanna carefully for a moment his gaze drawing her out. "I don't care if it is too much. Keep it for later." He sat on the other arm. "How did you sleep?"

"Not bad." She lied. Even now she was focusing on him expecting some sort of attack. Gaster had put her on edge. "Still tired though. How did you sleep?"

"I slept fine." He looked around. "What are your plans for today?"

Alanna sighed dropping her head into her hands. "I have to train with Papyrus. He wants to teach me to use my magic better."

He looked at her surprised. "You're actually going to train with that numbskull?" He laughed a little.

"Papyrus is a great teacher." She immediately defended.

"Right." He slowly stood and the green spark surrounded his hand for a moment. He sighed. "I guess I'll go watch."

"Watch?"

"ALANNA ARE YOU PREPARED FOR ANOTHER ROUSING ROUND OF TRAINING?" Papyrus was running down the stairs taking at least three at a time without issue. He slid to a stop in front of her, all boundless energy and she felt her heart sink. It felt as if she had hardly slept and her side hurt something fierce. But with all the hope and energy in his eyes she pulled herself slowly out of her makeshift bed.

"I have to change first." Alanna mumbled glancing at her outfit. She might as well wear the torn jeans for fighting, seeing as they already had holes.

"I'll get ready also," Cooper added stretching. Alanna sighed and headed into the laundry room changing into her new training outfit, sadly touching the rip before heading out. Papyrus was already gone as was Cooper, and a groggy Frisk looked up from the t.v. raising a hand in a half greeting.

Alanna watched the child for a moment her heart sinking. Gaster had said it was the only way to give them a happy ending. Otherwise they'd start to mutate. All of it rested on Alanna being able to kill Chara, and Frisk in the process. She turned away bile rising in the back of her throat at the thought. The cold helped chase the dark thoughts from her head. She wasn't nearly good enough to even worry about what she had to do. Right now she just needed to train, get faster and better.


	30. Training

Papyrus had set up a training field in a snowy clearing. He was stretching muscles that weren't there as she approached.

"ALANNA!" He called happily. "TIME FOR OUR WARM-UP."

Alanna began to mimic his movements wincing as the stretches pulled at her side. After a while of following his lead she found her body warmer and easier to move. Even her side seemed a tad better.

"PREPARE YOURSELF!" Was the only warning she got before she felt the world flicker. Once again, her consciousness split between her soul and her earthly body. She focused on Papyrus and heard the distant thrumming of that bouncing music. She cracked a small smile. It sounded like him. As before he sent a wave of blue bones. Each that brushed through her made her want to shiver. Papyrus did a bigger smile and she felt the sudden click of magic as her body suddenly grew heavy pressing her more firmly into the snow. "YOU'RE BLUE NOW."

"Aww Pappy, you don't want me blue, do you?" She said with a half-smile using up her turn to talk. The burnt orange options hardly caught her attention anymore, but she watched them move away from her.

"BLUE IS A LOVELY COLOR ON YOU."

Bones broke through the ground spitting snow and dirt as they rocketed toward her. She pushed herself skyward and watched as they sailed underneath her. She was happy that the white of the bones was just a bit more yellow than that of the snow, otherwise it would be like what she had been dealing with all night. The grey room had collapsed after a while, and she had to dodge attacks she could hardly see. Just a flicker of movement as warning before they slammed into her. This was easier to see, but with her exhaustion harder to dodge.

"Endurance," Gaster had purred to her as she lay crying from a particularly bad attack, "what you lack is endurance." By the end of the night she had been told she was lacking in a few things. Most things.

"I like red." Alanna said feeling determination flow through her. She had to get better. There was no other way. She had to save them.

Another flurry of attacks. She kept her eyes open watching as each one appeared and as it approached. Almost entering a strange trancelike state as she focused on everything around her. Slowly she could feel it as she had in the darkness of Gaster's place.

"Interesting." He had said. She could feel the snow underneath her feet. The dips and curves that made the landscape around her. She could feel the bones as they flew at her. She pushed herself up leaving hardly any space between her and the highest bone. She could feel the wind off of it. She landed only to send herself flying again as another wave rushed by her. She had her eyes forward but she could feel it as something moved behind her. Moving on instinct she threw herself back up and was surprised to see a smaller bone go flying forward.

"WOWIE!" Papyrus said softer than his usual tone. She landed breathing a bit harder bringing a hand to her side. The impact had hurt but not horribly. She was more impressed with the fact she had felt it. Gaster had been surprised too.

"You seem to have gotten the hang of it." He had commented during a lull. "How are you doing this?"

It was because she could feel it. She had entered some strange state where she could feel the land around her faintly. Even with the darkness all around she could feel the pitted surface that she was standing on. She could feel tendrils of what seemed like smoke made solid sliding around her. Testing, looking for an opening. The slightest lapse in her attention sent her reeling and slamming to the ground. Gaster had smiled then, his face opening slightly with the motion. He looked terrifying, and then she was hit again.

Alanna tried to focus on what was in front of her. The black of her memories giving way to the snowy field.

"ATTACKS DON'T ALWAYS JUST COME FROM THE FRONT." Papyrus sounded a little less enthusiastic. "IN FACT, MANY MONSTERS PREFER TO SEND ATTACKS FROM ALL SIDES."

"Vigilance." She echoed back.

"Attacks can come from anywhere. You must always be prepared." Alanna hardly had time to process Cooper's voice before she felt something flying at her. She twisted slightly feeling the air off the energy blade. She glared at him.

"You are not part of this." She mumbled. "You said you were just going to watch." She added a bit louder.

"I couldn't resist," Cooper said holding his hands up. "I'll stay out of it." She narrowed her eyes at him remembering a different volley of green blades.

"At least don't throw blades at me yet. This is my second day." She grumbled feeling slightly bad for snapping at him.

"YES, AND YOU ARE DOING VERY GREAT." Papyrus cheered her.

"Thanks." She mumbled dragging her foot through the snow. Cooper moved out of her range and she watched him as he leaned up against a tree looking comfortable despite the cold.

"I'll stay right here." Cooper added as he noticed that she was staring at him.

"Right."

No matter how much she could sense some attacks coming, it didn't help the fact that she wasn't fast enough or skilled enough to dodge them all. Each crack of the bones slamming into her began to drain her will to learn how to fight. She could hardly move out of the way, jumping just high enough to miss the top bone, but misjudging her landing which had a smaller one slam into her foot making her tumble into the snow. Which made the next attack slam directly into her bad side.

Alanna yelped rather loudly. Her vision went white, then black. Faintly she heard an amused laugh and saw a cracked face looking down at her. Then she was back in the snow scrambling to her feet spinning to look for the next attack. Papyrus was staring at her, his mouth hanging open and his body stopped mid-stride. It was hard to breathe and she panted shallowly while looking at him shaking and sweating despite the snow.

Her side was pure agony. Breathing was near impossible, Alanna noticed, focusing more and more on getting air into her lungs. Damn Gaster for hitting so hard. Damn herself for not being the kind of fighter they needed.

Shakily she settled herself back into a ready position eyes locked on Papyrus. He looked hesitant his eyes locked on something above her head. Alanna tilted her gaze up and looked at her health bar. Only five points out of her normal twenty.

"PERHAPS IT IS TIME TO TAKE A BREAK."

"I can go grab some food then come back." Alanna offered. It wouldn't do her any good to die and lose any time. She needed to train and be ready before Chara was ready to wake up. Gaster was right, she was not ready in the slightest. How in the world was she ever going to be able to pull any of this off?

Alanna had tried to learn to fight once, back when she was around 13. It took one time of her hitting someone hard enough to make them cry out that she gave up and never went back. Now she had to kill.

Papyrus nodded at her suggestion and they quickly ended the battle. Reunited with her soul she began the small trek to grab some cinnamon bunnies from Beatrix's shop.

"I'll come with you," Cooper called jogging to catch up with her. She slowed slightly until they were walking together. They were both silent as they walked, but Cooper's presence wasn't unwelcome. It almost felt friendly.


	31. Training pt 2

The inside of the store was warm and Beatrix glanced at her, doing a subtle double take before smiling widely.

"Welcome!"

"Hello again!" Alanna said moving to her counter. "I heard about those cinnamon bunnies and decided it would be a good day to try some." Alanna felt slightly strained trying to be sociable with Cooper in his cloak standing not far behind her. Even Beatrix looked to him every few seconds.

"Oh!" Her nose wiggled in interest, looking back to Alanna. Both ears were perked up and tilted toward her. "How many would you like?"

"Four." She said already pulling out the amount she needed and placing it on the counter. Beatrix quickly counted it and nodded to herself sweeping the coins into her paws. The bunny woman quickly ducked into the back of her store and after a moment she could be heard humming as the smell of cinnamon became pronounced. It wasn't long before she was back with four still steaming pastries. She rummaged underneath the counter for a few minutes and then sat a little paper bag in front of her placing the sweets inside before handing it to Alanna.

"Thank you for your patronage!" She seemed happy, and Alanna smiled widely at her. She smiled back, and Alanna could already see the spark of curiosity that would have her reach out. It wouldn't be long now till they were friends again.

Alanna brushed past Cooper feeling his cloak brush against her arm as she headed back outside. She pushed her hand into the bag, feeling the heavy heat from the steaming treats and pushed one toward Cooper.

"Here." Cooper stared at her offering for a moment then slowly took it from her. She fished one out for herself.

"Thank you," Cooper said taking a small bite. "You didn't have to buy me anything."

"It's no problem." Alanna bit into her own and nearly moaned at the warm sugary rush. The layers of cinnamon and dough were divine, all tied together with an almost too sweet icing. She could feel her aches and pains falling away.

She continued to walk eating the entire treat and licking the crumbs and sugar from her fingertips absently as she walked back to her training session. Her side ached slightly still, but it was nothing like it had been before. Looks like Gaster's hits were a bit harder to fully heal than regular monsters.

As Papyrus came back into view, jogging in place, Alanna noticed a spark of green from beside her and it was bigger than before.

"A little more." Cooper was quiet as if he were talking to himself.

"Where will you go?" She asked him stopping in his way.

"I never truly know where I will end up. I can revisit places I have been, however I normally search for new locations. New anomalies." His face darkened as he mentioned the anomalies. She felt her stomach twist slightly remembering the distant look on his face as he had fought her. Brushed aside tears of pain and fear.

"Not all of us are bad." Alanna spoke sharper than usual. He didn't seem like he wanted to hurt her. In fact, since their fight he had almost been protecting her. Making amends she supposed. "You tried to kill me, Cooper. I know what you thought, but you could have put a little more effort into your decision. I hope...for other's sakes...that you try to be a bit more compassionate."

Alanna sat the bag of treats on the snow already mourning the loss of the heated treats as she moved back to Papyrus re-energized. Cooper had turned slightly away looking guilty. Good, Alanna thought, maybe that would save the next innocent life he ran into.

"All right! Let's do this!" She said bouncing to her toes.

"YOUR ENTHUSIASM IS APPRECIATED, ALANNA!" The world flickered and she felt herself float slightly upward as her soul, shedding a much brighter light than before emerged from her chest. Papyrus waved a gloved hand and she watched as blue bones streaked toward her. She narrowed her eyes and kept still even as she knew that his magic was curling around her soul. There was a small ping at her center and she watched as her soul was dyed blue, the silver just visible as a lighter colored blue. Her weight pushed her back into the snow and she took a calming breath letting her awareness stretch around her.

"Hey, do you have a spare heart?" She called out grinning. Papyrus looked confused as he shook his head.

"NO, WHY WOULD I-"

"Because you've stolen mine!" She called out cutting his reply off. Might as well use all those cheesy pickup lines she had heard over the years. Cooper laughed from the sidelines. Papyrus looked flustered which only made her even more delighted.

"ALANNA IS THIS HOW YOU REALLY FEEL?" He asked as he tossed an attack her way. She tensed up and pushed skyward flipping over his attack before lightly landing back on her toes. This time the attack was new and she blinked as he created bones in the ground and also in the air, creating only a small gap to dive through. She measured it and threw herself forward feeling like a superhero as she just barely avoided contact.

"Don't worry, Paps. I don't do dating. But…" She said holding up a finger a malicious smile crawling across her face. "Is it cold in here, or is that just you?" A soft snort from Cooper's direction.

"ALANNA IT IS VERY COLD." Papyrus said throwing multitudes of the narrow gap attacks at her. "IT IS SNOWING." She tried to measure each jump the same but after a few clipped the top bone with her shoulder. She grunted but it didn't hurt too badly.

"Are you getting tired Papyrus?" Alanna asked innocently.

"OF COURSE NOT, HUMAN, I AM IN TOP PHYSICAL CONDITION!"

"You must be! You've been running through my mind all day." She purred. Papyrus' mouth popped open and his face glowed brilliantly orange.

* **Papyrus' Attack Fell**

Alanna bit her lip to keep from laughing at the little message. He sent a gap that was much taller than she had jumped. Alanna nearly froze not knowing if she could jump that high. She grit her teeth and threw herself skyward and was startled to see that she had overshot knocking into the upper bone. She landed in a heap.

Startled she began to laugh. It really was like being a superhero! Snow had gotten into some of the holes in her jeans, but she pushed herself up before her butt went numb.

"ARE YOU OKAY?" He seemed nervous.

"I should be asking you that!" She laughed out strangely giddy. "It had to hurt when you fell from heaven." An oldie but a goodie.

Papyrus swept his hand out and the same attack appeared. Alanna tempered her jump and passed through falling back to the ground as if she were on the moon rather than underground. It was sweet to see Papyrus trying hard not to truly hurt her and to let her learn from her mistakes. Before his turn ended, though he hadn't sent out another attack she jumped again flipping for the pure joy of it.

"Are you a dictionary?"

"NO, BUT I KNOW A ROBOT WHO IS CLOSE."

Alanna sighed slightly. "Because you're adding meaning to my life." She finished lamely. "Wait, you know Mettaton?" She had only seen one robot in the underground.

"YES!" He varied the next attack, and she only hit a few as she jumped. She had started to feel tired again, and each push felt more and more taxing. She might need to go running to build up stamina. Maybe she could get Frisk to do it with her.

"That's really cool." She said earnestly.

"NYEH HEH HEH. OF COURSE, I AM A COOL DUDE!"

The longer their session went the more Alanna slipped up. She had to start using her shield when she couldn't jump fast enough. Eventually it was hard to even summon her magic, let alone sustain it for hits. Her flirtation slowly died out, as did her talking. She had taken to just checking Papyrus over reading his stats over and over again.

"Small bone, 12 O'Clock." Cooper's voice suddenly warned and Alanna immediately hopped slightly up. The attacked rocketed underneath her and she glanced to him in surprise. His eyes were still on Papyrus. "Medium followed by large."

Alanna immediately followed his command a small giddy rush bubbling through her bloodstream at the feeling of teamwork. Being able to dodge something she couldn't fully see or sense was strange. She felt the turn shift to her and she glanced back to Papyrus. He smiled.

"PERHAPS IT IS TIME TO END OUR TRAINING FOR TODAY." He took a few steps toward her. "YOU DID VERY WELL."

Alanna supposed that she was tired, and sore. Exhausted was more like it. The more she stood still the more she could feel the last few days weighing on her body and mind. She nodded slowly.

"Okay." She spared him and she felt his acceptance. Her soul settled back into its proper spot and she breathed an unconscious sigh of relief. It was odd having everything that was _you_ out in the open exposed to outside forces. She trudged back to the little bag and forced herself to eat a cold cinnamon bunny, which she realized didn't taste all that bad cold. Maybe magical food was just like that. Even the cold fries and burger which she had been given had tasted better than normal cold food. It hadn't even gotten stale after sitting out for who knows how long.

Her aches and her energy began to replenish with each bite, the ache in her side disappeared altogether as she finished. She held the last one out to Papyrus.

"It's cold but still good." She mentioned to him.

He grabbed the pastry careful only to touch the wax paper that had been wrapped around the bottom. He nibbled on it smiling at her between bites. "CINNAMON BUNNIES ARE GOOD." He mentioned as she stretched her body letting out little pops as it readjusted. She had to admit she preferred the cold of snowdin, it would be torture to be doing the same routine in the hotlands.

Cooper ambled over to Alanna. She glanced up with a small smile. "You did a great job. Much better than expected."

Alanna blushed and ducked her head at the compliment. "Thank you, I'm really trying." Not that she could tell him _why_ she had suddenly gotten such an interest in learning how to use her powers. Alanna began the walk home sighing as Papyrus decided to jog away with his endless energy. "How does he do that?" She muttered to herself.

"So, now that your training is done what are your plans?" Cooper asked from beside her.

"Um...shower I guess." Alanna answered glancing at herself. "Then maybe explore for a bit."

"Oh, then I wouldn't need to bother you. I'll go exploring myself. Try not to die will you?"

Alanna playfully glared at him. "I shouldn't have to worry so long as we don't cross paths right?" She added with a small smile. Cooper stared at her for a moment then peeled away from her route off to do who knows what.


	32. trust

It didn't take long at all to get back to the house. Frisk was gone by this time and Alanna was secretly grateful she didn't have to face them for the moment. She locked herself in the bathroom and took a decently long shower warming herself and cleaning away the sweat. Her side, where Gaster had hurt her before, was shadowed in a faint almost healed bruise. She checked it over, but the magical food seemed to heal whatever damage had been there.

After her shower she toweled off her hair and brushed it out waiting the extra time it took for it to dry somewhat. She put back on her little grey dress and shrugged on her coat deciding that she would go to the hotlands to explore a bit more. Perhaps go to meet Alphys again.

"hey." Alanna squeaked and dodged backward a bit as an unexpected voice sounded near her right side.

"Sans!" She put a hand to her chest staring at the grinning skeleton. His smile shifted a small bit as his eye lights took her in. "Hi." She huffed letting her fingers trail over the necklace she kept tucked inside her clothes at all times. It felt important. Maybe because Toriel had given it to her after saving her life.

"papyrus was just tellin' me about how great you're doin'." Alanna laughed softly smiling a bit more than before. "he's real proud of ya."

"I'm just happy he's willing to teach me."

"so, what brought all this on?"

Alanna narrowed her eyes slightly her smile faltering at the probing tone. "What do you mean?"

"everyone's gotta reason to learn to fight. what's yours?" Sans took a few steps toward her. The action seemed innocent enough but she felt herself tense at his approach.

"The fact that I get attacked all the time isn't enough?"

"heh." He rubbed a bony hand against his head. "that'd be a good one. did you train before the uh...accident?"

Alanna sighed. "No," she admitted glancing down at the hem of her dress, "I didn't think I needed to be better back then."

"this because of me?"

Alanna glanced up sharply, but Sans was looking down at his feet. There was guilt written over his face. She felt herself relax the smallest bit. "Not fully."

"the kid kept tellin' me we should trust you. i kept trying to find reasons not to, but i think i've ran out of excuses. you've done nothing but try and help since you showed up here."

"Frisk is a good kid. But I understand why you'd want to keep all this a secret. It's…..scary." She admitted softly. "The whole situation feels hopeless."

"kid thinks you can fix it." Sans eased himself onto the couch.

She sighed thinking of the _solution_ that Gaster had explained to her. She still knew she couldn't kill Frisk. But maybe she could fight Chara to a standstill. Maybe that would be enough.

"you're smart. i think you can fix it too. they told you what was going on didn't they?" Alanna simply nodded. "thought so. you're the only thing that's different. you have to be the key to this." Sans was muttering at this point as if he had been thinking about this the entire time.

"I don't know how to fix this." She lied even as static trailed over her side for a moment. She knew without a doubt that Gaster was reminding her of what she was going to have to do. What this training was _really_ for.

"well we can figure it out. you've got to be the one who can do something."

"I'm gonna go." Alanna said heading toward the door.

"yeah." He muttered. She could almost see the gears working in his head. It wouldn't be long till he realized the obvious answer. She hoped he would dismiss it the way she should have.

She left her backpack not feeling like lugging it around in what she knew would be awful heat. The snow crunched softly underfoot as she made her way through town. The monsters there cracked a few smiles at her. It felt nice. Made her feel a bit of hope for their situation. If the monsters could start to accept her then maybe it wouldn't be so bad here. If they were this forgiving while still trapped she figured that they would be able to deal with the humans when they got free.

She would free them. **File Saved.**

It was only a matter of time before she got good enough to take on Chara. She just needed to train harder. Gaster had all but told her that he was going to train her. Papyrus was overjoyed to train with her, and had even mentioned telling Undyne when he thought Alanna might be able to handle her.


	33. Riverperson

She sighed and headed toward the river hoping that somehow the Riverperson would know she wanted them. As if by magic she could hear the eerie humming before the lanky hooded figure came into view. She moved to the bank watching the water lap at the boat.

"Need a ride?" They asked in that airy voice.

"Yes, can you take me to the Hotlands?" They inclined their head and she stepped into the boat balancing herself even as they pushed into the stream. She stood for a moment allowing herself to move with the boat working on her balance for a second.

"You have questions." The gentle way they spoke kept her from jerking at the unexpected interaction. Alanna perched on the seat looking up at the imposing figure.

"What's your name?" She asked quietly.

"What is my name?" They echoed and Alanna could swear she could hear her own voice wrapped in the layers of sound. "It doesn't really matter."

She simply watched them. The darkness underneath the hood shifted slightly and she had the feeling that they were uncomfortable in some respect.

"I have many names."

"Pick your favorite one."

"Hmmm…" They hummed thoughtfully. Alanna watched as the head of the boat, which she swore she had never seen before, turned to watch them. The dog head tilted it's head slightly at her attention. "Once they called me Charon."

"Charon." She repeated. They hummed an assent.

"Your name."

"Alanna."

Charon leaned forward letting go of the oar which stayed magically in place. They reached out a hand, or what she thought would be an a hand seeing as she couldn't actually see it, and held it there. Slowly she brought her own hand up unsure of exactly what they wanted. Charon lightly took her hand, and though she could not see the darkness inside the sleeve she could feel a gentle grip. It felt almost normal.

"A pleasure." They kept a light hold on her hand. "You still have a question left, Alanna."

She wasn't sure why, but the sound of her name coming from Charon made her shiver. They had to feel the motion, but made no move to let go of her. They felt ancient. Bigger than what was in front of her.

"How do I do this?" She asked without really meaning to.

"You already know a way."

"Not that way!" She blurted out rather forcefully. Her voice bounced across the waves for a moment.

"There will be death, no matter what path you choose." Charon replied evenly. "The child bartered away their soul, nothing short of that will save them." It was strange to hear them speak without the sing-song tone they always took.

"I don't want to kill anyone." Alanna breathed her eyes beginning to burn. "I can't kill."

"You can." Charon said softly. The grip on her hand was gentle, comforting. They shifted slightly holding her a bit tighter. "You will."

"How do you know?" She asked bitterly.

"That's a third question." Charon sighed. "Clemency does not mean without sacrifice or sin." They quipped. They let her hand go and moved back to the oar. The head of the boat turned back to the front and the boat continued on. Alanna felt emptied.

After a minute they began to hum. Fog curled over the boat and tangled into her hair and caressed her skin as the air got progressively warmer. Eventually the boat drifted to the familiar landing near the lab. She pushed herself up and looked to the Riverperson. To Charon.

"Thank you." She said stepping off. They simply sang as they pushed away again. The odd choppy melodies bounced over the water until they moved out of sight.


	34. A Mettaton Shaped Chapter

It didn't take Alanna very long to find her way back to the labs. She knocked on the heavy metal door, but there was no answer. Alanna tried again but got the same result. She sighed softly and turned just in time to see a very boxy robot not too far away from her.

"Oh my," they droned and Alanna knew that voice. "You're a human."

"You're Mettaton." She replied taking a small step back. Where was she supposed to go? There was nothing but unforgiving metal on both sides.

"Of course you know who I am, dearie." Mettaton wheeled a bit closer to her. "I am the star of the underground after all. Quiz time," he announced as if he were on one of his shows, "the real question is who are you?"

"I'm nobody." Alanna took another small step back and felt metal hit her back.

"You're a new human. That's as far from a nobody as you can get in the underground. Well...save for me."

"Frisk said you guys were friends."

"Ah yes!" Mettaton seemed to perk up a little. "They were a wonderful contestant."

Alanna slowly held up her hands. "I don't want any trouble. Please, I was just trying to say hi to Alphys."

"She knew about you and didn't tell me?" It sounded as if he were pouting slightly. "Well she couldn't keep a secret like you forever now could she?"

There was a soft hiss and Alanna immediately began to fall backward as the door behind her slid open. Alphys made a startled sound, but it was Mettaton who reached out a hand and easily snagged her arm pulling her back up before she could fully fall. There was no hesitation as that hand pulled her even further twisting her so that she twirled on the spot to land with her back against him and his arms wrapped around her like some lover.

"Alphys, Alphys, Alphys." Mettaton chided. Alanna froze fear making her magic violently rise to the surface. Alphys took one look at her eyes and a startled but awed smile began to spread over her face. "You thought you could keep her a secret? In _this_ town?" His hands shifted slightly and she found herself being twirled again and dipped. It was effortless on Mettaton's part. He could simply twist her in the right way that they looked like they were dancing. Alanna remembered Frisk's stories about their 'shows' together and she wondered just how much he knew how to manipulate the human body.

"Alanna!"

"So that's your name, pet." His voice had softened but still droned on in that monotone. "Look, she'd be perfect for a new dance partner. You're very graceful and those _eyes_."

"M-M-Mettaton!" Alphys snapped sounding a bit more commanding. "Let her go. You're scaring her."

"Scaring her? I was only complimenting her immense beauty." There was a soft sigh and he twirled her again easily pulling her up out of the dip and spinning her out of his arms toward Alphys. Alanna was thankfully able to get her footing and slid to a stop before banging into the quiet scientist. Mettaton made a sound of approval.

"W-what are you d-d-doing here?" Alphys asked her still looking at her eyes with that surprised and calculating look.

"I thought I would stop by and say hi." Alanna mumbled realizing she might not have thought her plan through. "I didn't think…"

"It's okay." Alphys immediately consoled. "You can hang out if you want. I just was going to work on…" Her eyes slid to Mettaton.

"You're in for a treat darling." Mettaton said moving closer.

"Y-yeah we're working on his new body." Alphys said stepping to the side so that Alanna could walk inside. The cool of her lab was a blessing. Alanna sighed softly as the cold tempered her overheated skin. "His power consumption isn't optimal so we were going to tweak a few things." Alphys chartered behind her.

Alanna stepped to the side as Alphys brushed past with Mettaton on her heels.

"Would you like to do the honors?" He asked showing his back which had a very large switch. Alanna froze unsure of what to do or what the action would even mean.

"I-if it makes you un-uncomfortable I can do it."

"Don't be shy." He purred.

Mettaton, Alanna realized, was very good at conveying tone without actually changing his tone. She wondered exactly how he managed to do that. Alanna sighed and reached out flipping the heavy switch with a crack. He immediately went rigid the panels on his face beginning to flash in warning. Alanna immediately threw herself backward as he seemed to explode into steam. Just like that expressive and over the top laughter began to bubble out of the steam. She blinked in confusion.

"Ah thank you dear!" His voice was suddenly musical and theatrical all at once. "I've been missing this form. The ratings were out of this world when I last used it." The mist slowly dropped to the floor revealing a very humanoid Mettaton.

Black styled hair sat upon a flawlessly carved metal face which crinkled with a smile at her inspection. He looked like a supermodel, with magenta eyes and a chest piece to match. Long and shaped legs. He looked like something out of an anime brought to life.

"How do you like me?" He purred leaning closer to her. She blinked at the sultry tone. Was he….flirting with her? Her face immediately went red. "Awww look Alphy-poo. I made the human blush. So pretty too."

"Um…" Alanna muttered taking a few steps back. "You look nice. Your voice is amazing." She added.

"You like my voice?" He grinned giving her a roguish smile. He really did look like a celebrity. "That's a new one. Frisk went on and on about my legs." He added looking down to inspect them.

"C-come on." Alphys pulled at one of his arms making him sit in front of her desk which she had covered in various tools. "Unless you want a dead battery." She added seeming more in her element than she ever had before. Mettaton sighed his face the picture of regret and sadness before he went and sat gracefully down at the desk. She easily popped some panel in his back and began to tamper with things. "Maybe you're losing charge through a bad connection." She muttered. Mettaton frowned slightly looking uncomfortable and Alanna immediately looked away.

"So...Alanna." Mettaton said after a minute of near silence save for the scientific babble from Alphys. "That's a pretty name. How did a dear like you get here?" She glanced over at him. He had adopted a talk-show host pose and was smiling encouragingly.

"I fell." She answered immediately.

"What were you doing on the mountain?" He probed. That was a new question.

"Oh," she glanced to her feet. "I was hiking."

"Alone?" He asked it as if it were scandalous.

"Not many friends. Well, none if I'm being honest. I was new to Ebbott and I don't socialize very well."

Another award-winning smile. "You seem to be doing fine now, darling." He was built to be alluring in this form, Alanna realized. His voice and face, every action was meant to make her pay attention. To be enraptured. She wondered if he ever let the act drop, or if this was who he truly was. "What's the surface like?"

"Open, for one." She sighed. "It's easier to breathe. I can feel the rock above us all the time. Brighter. More varied in weather."

"W-what's the sky like?" Alphys asked without looking up.

"Blue." She mumbled.

"Come now darling, you have to explain it better than that."

Alanna closed her eyes then imagining it. Really imagining it. "The sky feels never-ending like you could go up forever and never hit anything but clouds. It isn't just blue either. It's so many colors. The teal of midday becomes bright orange and pink when the sun gets low. Sunsets are my favorite it looks like someone streaks paint across the sky. Then it gets darker, turning navy and then black as the sun slides away. Then you see the moon and the stars, dotted like so many diamonds across velvet. Dawn is pretty too, but I like the strange almost colorless look the sky gets just before the sun rises over the horizon. That's not even talking about rainy or cloudy days where it's so grey or black that it feels like something malevolent is hanging above you getting ready to strike." She sighed.

The silence was so deafening she had to open her eyes to make sure there wasn't danger around. Mettaton and Alphys both were watching her with wide eyes. The allure had fallen away from his face, and she looked dazed. Slowly they both seemed to realize that they were staring at her. Alphys began tinkering again but Mettaton was watching her so intently she felt as if his gaze might burn a hole through her.

"That's interesting." He finally purred. "Tell me, what do you miss most?"

"Feeling safe." She answered without thought. Alphys flinched and Mettaton's brows knit together. "Oh, I meant…" She began but instead she let herself fall into silence.

"That should, uh, do it." Alphys said softly. "But we can't know for sure till you battle someone."

"I can help there." Alanna said shifting to the balls of her feet.

"N-no you could get hurt." Alphys looked at her with narrowed eyes.

Alanna shook her head and moved closer. Mettaton's eyes locked onto her the magenta glowing slightly as he took her in. "I've been training with Papyrus. This will be a good change of pace."

"I won't hurt her." He said to Alphys all bravado falling away. "Maybe we can learn what that glow was." He added with a wink thrown to Alanna.

"Oh," she said realizing they meant the way her eyes _changed_ when she used magic. She would have to see it herself eventually. The smile Mettaton gave her was nothing short of predatory.

"It's up to you, Alanna."


	35. Testing

**Merry Christmas/Happy New Years! It's that liminal time in between the two. Either way happy stuff! I hope you're doing well! I'll be posting an extra chapter this week for the holidays. It should show up in a day or two! As always your continued support is amazing. Follow/Fav/Review if you feel comfortable. 3**

 **-Moriarty**

They ended up in front of the lab, back in the heat Mettaton standing in front of her with that roguish look again. Alanna readied herself rocking foward onto her toes bouncing slightly with the movement. He looked amused right before the world flickered.

The gasp they both let out told her all she needed to know about what they had expected of her soul. She felt gravity lose its grip and she let herself float up a bit letting herself zone into the area around them.

He grinned slightly and then held a hand out toward her in a heroic looking pose. "Lights. Camera. Bombs!" He called grinning as he suddenly tilted his hand up to shoot bombs high above her. She tilted herself slightly to see them coming and dodged to the right or left trying to ignore the extra blasts of heat from their explosions. They were pretty easy to dodge, and Alanna could tell he was only testing his attacks not actually trying to hit her. Even so she saw surprise flit across his face as she easily moved out of the way.

Alanna glanced at the options she had and immediately decided that posing was a good option. She quickly threw herself into a dramatic pose blushing slightly at the action. Mettaton, however, seemed excited.

"Let's see how good of a dancer you really are!" She hardly had a moment before he rushed up to her throwing a kick. She immediately dodged to the side. Up close fighting was very different than avoiding magical attacks and she realized that he was going to hit her pretty hard. She pulled on her own magic and threw up a shield. She felt the blow faintly, but Mettaton grunted at the impact spinning slightly away his face showing a bit of pain. She dropped the shield immediately like Gaster had been teaching her.

"Sustaining that shield for long periods of time is wasteful. Only use it to block what you cannot already dodge." He had snapped at her in that darkness.

He was right. By the time Mettaton had recovered from the shock of hitting the shield he only had time to throw one last kick at her before dancing back out of her reach. She grinned at the astounded look from Alphys.

"Y-you have magic!" She said it as if it were only confirming something she already knew. "What are you? Are you a mage?"

"Human," Alanna answered, "and maybe part monster? I didn't know till I fell down here. But I don't think I'm the same as a mage." At least Toriel didn't think so.

"That makes sense. Y-your magic would have to be the same color as your soul. A natural hybrid?" That seemed to break Alphys. Even Mettaton glanced to her the battle forgotten for a moment. "That's impossible. That would mean…"

He glanced back to Alanna and his eyes narrowed slightly. She suddenly realized how terrifying he could look as he smiled slowly. She watched as a panel in his chest opened to fully reveal his soul though she could see it partially before. He lifted up slightly and lightning shot toward her. She avoided the first blast but felt her body lock up as she dodged into a different blast. It hurt and if she could have opened her clenched mouth she might have screamed louder.

Anger flared and she threw up her shield rather forcefully, like before when Cooper had tried to use his magic on her soul. It was a knee jerk reaction and she watched as the bolts suddenly all scattered and Mettaton was blown back by the force of it. Alanna was instantly horrified to see his health tick down a small bit. She bit her lip and tasted blood.

"Shit I'm so sorry!" She cried out. "I didn't mean to." She took a step toward him, but he quickly waved her concern away.

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have used that attack." Mettaton said turning to look back at Alphys who was staring at her feet. Her mind seemed to be whirling with the new information.

Just then Alanna heard a familiar song right before she felt static curl around where she had been hit almost lazily stroking the wound. It made the hit burn all the more before falling numb. Her eyes were inexplicably drawn to the side where she saw Gaster, looking more like a black stain on reality than a solid person, watching her with a pleased expression.

" _My my…"_ The static that was Gaster's voice whispered sounding intrigued. Symbols flashed in her head in time with his words. " _You are showing progress."_ His cracked gaze swept over Alanna and she took a step back feeling herself pale slightly. It was surreal to see him out in the open. " _Your control of your power has increased exponentially in just a limited time. You even found ways to use your magic offensively."_

"I…" She whispered her mouth suddenly dry. "It's not offensive." The words were hardly stirring the air. "I didn't mean to." She added a bit louder.

" _Do not lie to yourself."_ His smile grew larger and she once again felt that flash of unease and fear at the action. _"With your power, your determination, you will defeat Chara. We need to adjust your mentality more. Perhaps that will be our next lesson in addition to strengthening your newfound offensive abilities."_ Alanna shook her head taking another step away.

"I don't want to hurt anyone."

"You hardly hurt me dear." Mettaton soothed. Alanna instantly looked to him wondering if anyone else could see Gaster. He had hardly looked toward her, but she felt him sparing her. She accepted and felt her soul settle back into her chest. The heat became more intense and she noticed that the spot he hit her was throbbing dimly.

"How is your charge?" Alphys asked him. Alanna wondered at how they could be so unaware of Gaster. They hardly even glanced his way as if something in them didn't want to. Too absorbed in their conversation.

" _This hesitation will be not only your downfall but the end of everyone in this timeline. Is that what you want?"_ His voice was calm and stern like a teacher lecturing a student. She grit her teeth.

"There has to be another way other than killing." She hissed trying not to draw attention to him. Gaster was odd even among the monsters. She was sure that his very existence felt off.

" _Even if there is another way how do you expect to follow through with such a lack of determination? You can't possibly believe Chara will be so easy to defeat by merciful means?"_

"I don't expect any of this to be easy. But if there's a possibility that I can fix this without death I'll take that route no matter how difficult it can be. I'm _determined_ to save everyone I can."

" _How interesting,"_ Gaster seemed to pause in thought. " _Then we will have to work you even harder to further prepare you."_ His gaze slid past Alanna and she wondered if he was looking to the two bickering over correct wattage output. " _We will meet again very soon._ " Just like that he began to fade until there was nothing left. It was like he faded from existence.

"You coming, Alanna?" Alphys called looking over to her. She turned slightly seeing that they had both looked over at her. Mettaton was smiling at her looking slightly seductive again. Alphys was grinning at her something in her expression reminding Alanna that she was in fact a scientist first and foremost.

"Yeah, what are we doing now?" She forced a smile back onto her face.

"Making a few more adjustments."

"You're looking pale, dear." Mettaton lightly touched her face when she walked up and Alanna jerked slightly. "This heat must not be good for humans." He pursed his lips slightly as he took a small strand of her hair between his fingers.

"Frisk mentioned you don't like the heat." Alphys said moving to open the door. Alanna cast one last look back toward where Gaster had appeared frowning slightly before being ushered into the blissful cool.

Mettaton sat back down and batted his eyelashes at Alanna who smiled slightly at his flirting. It was almost funny how much he wanted attention from her.

"So I connect this here and that should-" Alphys was saying before a knock interrupted her. She glanced to the door nervousness stealing back over her expression. "I-I'll go see who it is. Um, M-Mettaton if it's U-U-Undyne..."

He easily reached out and caught Alanna's waist twirling her into closer to him with a dashing smile. "I've got her covered. I'm guessing your crush doesn't know about our little star?"

"N-No. And she's n-n-not my c-crush!" Alphys squealed.

"It's obvious, darling. Even Frisk knew."

Alphys wandered off before Mettaton could continue. "Frisk is known to flirt a lot." Alanna admitted.

"If you saw the two of them together you'd know too. They're sickeningly sweet." His voice dropped slightly.


	36. Science!

**Merry Holiday! May the next year bring you all happiness!**

 **-Moriarty**

"Oh!" Alphys exclaimed from the doorway. "Yeah she's here." The hand at Alanna's waist tightened for a moment before Alphys came padding back toward them followed by a familiar hooded figure. "Alanna your friend came to check on you." She subtly waved her hand and Mettaton sighed lightly his hold on her waist shifting from supportive to a more familiar hold.

"Cooper?" Alanna asked slightly surprised. He looked up at her his hood still hiding the more human parts of his face.

"Hey, bubble girl. See you're still alive."

"Bubble girl?" Alanna deadpanned narrowing her eyes at him. There was an amused sound from Mettaton that she immediately hated. "Yeah, I'm still alive, Kermit. How's your day been?"

Cooper was staring at Mettaton as he replied. "A bit too hot, but not too bad. I figured I'd take a stroll. Come check on you."

Mettaton not so subtly shifted her closer a roguish smirk making its way onto his face. She glanced to him and wanted to laugh. Yeah, Alanna thought, like he could make Cooper jealous with that little stunt. Only thing he was doing was making her slightly uncomfortable. But then again she had never really had someone flirt with her before. Well, at least not lately.

Cooper stared at Mettaton for a few moments longer before looking to Alanna. "How was your day?" He asked.

"Hot mostly. I met Mettaton today." She said nodding slightly toward the robot.

"And it was a pleasure." He said in that sultry tone of his.

"Hmm I bet. I'm surprised a celebrity like you has a day off. Shouldn't you be running a show or something?" Cooper asked cooly.

"Even stars have to rest sometimes, darling. But don't worry there will still be plenty of me to go around." He added throwing a wink his way. "If I'm not too preoccupied." That last part was a bit softer. Like velvet. Alanna glanced to him and met magenta eyes. She felt herself blush and pulled slightly away from him. He let go easily crossing his legs and watching her intently as she stepped slightly away from the group.

Cooper looked to the side with a slightly annoyed face at Mettaton's comment. "So what are you doing here anyway?"

"I wanted to visit Alphys." Alanna explained throwing a smile at her. "I had a good time last time we hung out."

"M-me too!" Alphys spoke up.

"Were you worried about me or something?" Alanna asked Cooper. He looked around for a moment letting his eyes wander over the lab.

"Not particularly." His tone was dismissive. As if he couldn't care less about what she had been up to. But the mere fact that he was at the lab...

"Then why were you looking for me?"

"I didn't want you ending up in trouble or ending up with the wrong people."

Alanna immediately smiled at Cooper's response. "Right."

"Sounds like worrying to me. How sweet." Mettaton voiced her thoughts with an added laugh. "You can be sure she is safe here with us."

"Right," Cooper's eye slightly glowed while he scanned the lab and Alanna immediately wondered what exactly he was doing with his magic. "How is your research going, Alphys?"

"Mettaton's power usage in this form is still not sustainable for extended or permanent use." Alphys rattled off. "And my research on Alanna hasn't gotten very far." She added.

"On me?"

Alphys stammered for a second and blushed. "I ran a few tests on the hair samples you gave me. It's interesting," she said glancing to Cooper, "human hair seems to be unique to the individual. I ran tests on the proteins and found that they were in different patterns than the samples that Frisk provided me."

Alanna blinked. She had already learned something just from some hair she had given her. What was she going to do with other things? What would she figure out about her monster heritage? Maybe she could figure out what type of monster her ancestor was. The thought was interesting to Alanna.

"I see. Find anything peculiar? Like something you wouldn't think a human should have?" Cooper had taken to wandering around the room examining random charts and notes that were strewn around. "I'm curious." He added. Alanna looked sharply to him a ripple of unease going down her back.

"W-well…" Alphys glanced down. "There was something...but I had discarded it as the sample being contaminated." She muttered.

"What?" Alanna found herself taking a small step toward Alphys.

"I found…" Her gaze nervously flitted around the room. "Are you sure you want them to hear?" Something about the statement made Alanna's mouth go dry.

"I don't care." She lied.

Alphys sighed and threaded her fingers together. "Magic seemed to be part of the makeup of your hair. It was threaded through along with the solid more human parts." Her eyes darted to Cooper for a moment. "I thought it was perhaps because you were in contact with magic, but Frisk's hair had never shown that property. Without a proper sample group I'm mostly going off of guesswork as to what the rest of humanity is like. But with magic so prevalent in your hair samples...there's a good chance that you have a lot of monster in you." She finished looking at Alanna.

"But...she said that it was probably some great ancestor." Alanna mumbled.

"Alanna…" Cooper was skimming over some papers that were resting on one of Alphys' research tables. "Should we know anything about your ancestry or do you know how you have traces of magic?"

Alanna instantly felt defensive. Like she was being interrogated for something she didn't do. "I didn't even know about you guys till I fell. I expected to die at the bottom of a very large hole with no one ever knowing what happened to me. How was I supposed to know that magic was real and you all were trapped down here? My parents are human, and so are my grandparents and their grandparents. All my family is human." Alanna paced like a caged animal. She wasn't sure when she started the action. "Magic isn't supposed to be real." She added even as she felt her own magic rising through her at her agitation.

Cooper had stopped looking at the papers to watch Alanna as she paced. When her eyes met his he watched for a moment more before turning away from her looking back toward the floor.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to pry too much." He moved away from the table and went to sit in an abandoned chair. Alanna slowed her pacing watching him instead. "This all must be strange, confusing, and…" Cooper paused for a moment the light of his eye dimming significantly. "...horrifying." He finished in a disturbed voice. Alanna stopped completely at the tone of his voice. He shook his head slightly and glanced up to the room.

She let her own gaze drop knowing that it was probably different with her magic so close to the surface. "Don't worry about it." She waved his concern away.

"I didn't think about it like that." Alphys added sounding horrified.

"Poor thing." Even Mettaton sounded subdued. "You think no one would look for you on the surface?" He asked. Of course Mettaton would be the one to continue to pry, Alanna thought only slightly bitter.

"No," she admitted, "maybe the people from my job, but no one close to me. No one knew where I was going either. I lived alone, no pets thank goodness, and no real friends. My parents are who knows where. They might not even hear about me going missing for months and months."

"I'm so sorry." Alphys choked out. Alanna immediately shook her head.

"Don't be. I've had an opportunity only one other human in the world has had." She said looking around them. "I got to meet you all. Learn about what really happened here. I've gotten to see the Underground. I have a chance to right a great wrong of humanity that was lost to time. Even if I don't make it out…" That thought sobered her for a moment. "Even if I don't make it out it would have been worth it." She said with a shrug. "You all have had it much worse than me." She added with a smile thrown at the monsters in the room.

Cooper stood up. "Look at ya being a ray of light in this forsaken world." He laughed a bit as if his own statement amused him. "You're a good person, Bubbles."

"Are you making fun of me?" She asked softly thrown off by his sudden change in mood.

"Believe it or not I am able to give compliments."

Alanna sighed. "Sorry." She mumbled. "I just didn't expect that."

Alphys who had been watching the two of them intently clamped her hands together a wide and secretive smile spreading across her features. The slightest hint of a pink blush dusting the yellow of her cheeks. Mettaton had glanced between the two of them then back at Alphys with a sigh.

"Another one?" He asked in a bored tone. Alphys quickly hushed him looking back to his open panel. He looked amusedly between the two of them and Alanna felt as if she needed to blush though she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was just that the sultry robots eyes were on her again.

"I'd ask what you two are talking about, but knowing you Mettaton, I don't want to know." Cooper quipped. Alanna laughed slightly at the comment and over the offended look Mettaton gave him.

"You've hardly met me. I'm not the same monster that I play onscreen."

"No, you're much flirtier." Alanna looked startled when she realized she had spoken aloud. Mettaton, however, gave her a slow and honeysweet smile.

He tilted his head at her the smallest fraction. "Only to some." Alphys giggled at his antics and Alanna blushed again glancing down at her feet. She hated to admit it, but Alanna partially liked the attention Mettaton was giving her. She had been so used to being practically invisible save for when she was on air. In the Underground she was certainly noticed though most of the time it was more of the bad attention than the good. This was different.

"Hold still," Alphys ordered bringing out some tool that made Mettaton flinch before he held perfectly still.

"You wanna get out of here, Alanna?" Alanna looked to Cooper then back to the room at large. Alphys was trying to focus on her work and Mettaton was still focused on Alanna. She glanced back to Cooper.

"Where would we go?" She took a small step toward him.

"I can show you some cool places," Cooper offered already heading toward the door. Alanna hurried after him shooting a glance at Alphys and Mettaton who simply waved her on. Alphys looked excited.

"Okay, I'll come but only if I get to ask you stuff." She said as she reached him. "I don't know much about you."

"That's fine," he said glancing around Hotland. "Ready for some sightseeing?" Cooper held his hand out to her. She watched it for a moment then very slowly put her hand into his meeting his eye as she did so. His mouth lifted in a half smile as her skin touched him the glow in his eyes changing slightly but she wasn't sure what it meant.


	37. The Core

There was a moment where the world shifted around them, and the dizziness hit her in a wave but this time she remained standing and it passed quickly and without incident. The heat here was worse than before, but there was a strange hum in the air that caught her by surprise. It raised the little hairs on her arms and drew her gaze.

Sitting in the middle of a field of lava squatted a behemoth machine its sides painted with shifting reds, oranges, and black almost making it look like it was breathing. A living being pulsating in the heart of the Underground. Alanna distractedly dropped Cooper's hand as she moved forward ignoring the skin blistering heat that being near the lava brought. The hum of the thing increased when she moved closer and she swore she could hear melodies old and forgotten in the noise. It gave her a sense of foreboding and she remembered, as if through a half-forgotten dream, an image of Sans holding a white lab jacket, like the one that Alphys wore, his eye flashing violently blue as he let it sail down toward the base of the monstrosity. The lava swallowed it too quickly and he turned away his fist clenched.

Static swept through her and she remembered Gaster with a syringe filled with a deep throbbing red substance being shoved into bone. The feeling of his body melting around him but the will to keep going roaring through his head. She felt the ledge before he did. As he fell she watched as he began to split apart and by the time he would have reached the bottom of the machine he was gone. Split a trillion ways with no hope of becoming what he was ever again.

Alanna swayed with the influx of information while the behemoth machine sat quietly watching. A faint fleeting feeling shivered across her soul and a great sense of loss and pain swept through Alanna leaving her shivering despite the heat.

"What is that?" She asked her voice sounding far away. She forced herself to look away from the machine only to see Cooper staring at it. His expression was faintly disturbed.

"The Core," Cooper's eye brightened and she immediately tensed. "My nightmare away from home." He moved closer to her and the Core, but Alanna grit her teeth hating that her first reaction was fear. Would she ever stop being afraid down here? "Care to explore it with me?"

Explore it? Alanna turned back to look at it again. Some deep instinctual part of her wanted nothing to do with the place. Maybe it was the strange humming...or even the lava...but she found herself shying back.

"Your nightmare away from home." She echoed looking back to his mostly skeleton face. "Where's home for you? Why is it a nightmare?" She kept the Core in her peripherals, not willing to let it truly leave her sight. It felt like some wild animal. One you had to monitor constantly or be in danger of it snapping at you.

"My home is a timeline a ways off." He said letting his gaze travel the place for a moment. She had a vague understanding of what he meant by timelines. Something to do with parallel universes or something like that. It still felt farfetched. "As for the Core, in my timeline, I spent a lot of my early childhood there." His hand twitched slightly at his side and Alanna frowned. "We'll leave it at that. Overall it is an interesting and marvelous scientific structure."

"Yeah it looks," Alanna trailed off for a moment, "imposing." She finally said. "I can explore it with you." Something within her balked at the thought of entering the great machine. But Cooper had brought her here for a reason, and she needed to know what it was. Plus she could ask him as many questions as she wanted. "How do you travel between the timelines?"

Cooper raised his hand and instead of the normal green spark she had come to associate with his power new energy surged around and through it. It was differently colored than his usual magic, almost like it was threaded through with darkness.

"I open holes into a space in-between the timelines and travel through them." For a moment she remembered the darkness. Darker than dark, and then darker. He closed his fist cutting the flow of energy. "That is the simple version." His hand dropped completely and his gaze moved from the Core and landed on Alanna. "Follow me." He began walking further down the packed dirt path expecting her to follow.

Alanna slowly trailed after him keeping an eye on the Core. "So...what does the Core do?" She asked moving slightly faster so that she could catch up with him. "It has to do something."

"It's the power source of the underground. A massive interchangeable machine that continually pumps out energy."

"That explains the hum." Alanna mumbled to herself. The further they walked the more the path slowly curved toward the hulking beast of a machine. She found herself slowing and looking at it more. It was all twisting metal and pipes twirling in and out of themselves like some sort of macabare dance caught mid-step. At the bottom there were two elevators that poked out looking slightly like emancipated legs. Alanna wondered how much magic was used in the machine's creation. Breathing was getting harder the closer they moved to it, she could feel that hum invading her body running underneath her skin and pricking at her soul. Alanna hadn't realized she had slowed to a stop a few feet behind Cooper. She was instead focusing on how she felt as if her magic were about to release from her in a catastrophic wave. She wanted to run.

It was like some part of her, or something outside of her, was warning her of this place. She knew without a doubt that something bad had happened here...that something bad was yet to come. Her breathing had picked up and she found herself clutching the pendant shifting into more of a fighting stance.

"Bubbles." His voice was so very far away. Her heart had begun to jackhammer in her chest. Still she forced herself to look to Cooper who had stopped walking and was glancing back at her. "You okay?"

"Fine." She ground out forcing herself to move step by step to him. Her breathing was erratic. It felt like someone had injected her with a dose of adrenaline. Still she moved herself closer. "I'm okay, let's keep going."

There was no way some stupid machine was going to keep her from getting answers about the most mysterious inhabitant of the underground. Well...one of them at least.

"Is that all the questions you have?" He asked walking ahead of her.

"No." Alanna said following him into one of the elevators. "How did you figure out that you could use those powers? And why do you hunt anomalies?" She asked as the doors slid closed.

"I was made with this power and I was created to destroy." His voice was deadpan. He never moved, never even looked toward her as he said it. When the doors opened he walked out his face completely expressionless. Alanna paused inside the elevator eyes wide.

"Cooper," she hurried to him. "What do you mean you were made to destroy?" She reached out and caught his arm trying to get him to slow down or something. It looked like he was trying to hide something. What it was, Alanna had no clue.

"What?" Cooper turned back emotion leaking back into his face. "Something spook you?"

Alanna frowned slightly at the distracted look in Cooper's eyes. "Nothing." She mumbled glancing around herself. It was futuristic looking all right. Blue metal walls dotted with red lights. The hum was everywhere in here, but strangely the more she felt it the less it seemed to scare her. Whatever feelings she had walking up to the machine had faded as she reached the interior. "This is amazing." She told Cooper quietly.

He looked around. "It truly is an engineering wonder."

Alanna smiled slightly at the slight awe in his tone. "So you like science then?" She asked slowly walking down the hallway reaching out to let her fingers trail over the buzzing walls. "You seemed really interested in what Alphys was doing and now this."

Cooper began walking again slowly showing her the Core. "Science to me is both a blessing and a curse." Something akin to a painful memory seemed to flash across his face. "When used by someone like Alphys it is a helpful tool that makes the lives of monsters easier."

"Yeah, I get it. Don't want any mad scientists running about doing who knows what." Alanna paused near a series of neon colored tubes reaching out and tapping a nail slightly against them. The floor underneath them she noticed was etched.

"Alanna I have a question for you." Cooper stopped suddenly looking rather seriously at her. She stopped finger still pressed lightly against a tube.

"Yes?"

"Besides the flower, have you come into contact with any other strange or disturbing monsters?" Alanna knew that her face went pale. She took a small step back wanting to put distance between the two of them. Gaster had been a secret for almost as long as she had been in the underground. No one but Frisk had suspected but never pushed the subject.

"Why?" The word slipped out before she could think.

His eyes sparked. "Just answer the question. Who else have you met?"


	38. Heated Arguments

Alanna half expected Gaster to try and shush her like before, but there was no sweep of static. No words forming out of symbols that shouldn't be able to be spoken. She watched Cooper carefully. Her own magic was flaring up at the sight of the aggression Cooper had just shown.

"Yes, I've met a monster like that." She said carefully answering only his first question. She winced slightly expecting a sharp reprimand for speaking about him, but still nothing from Gaster.

Cooper seemed to look around a little more than normal but all the while watching Alanna. "Are they dangerous? Have they tried to corrupt you like Flowey?"

Alanna dropped her gaze to the engravings in the floor. "Um," she muttered. "I think he could be dangerous if he wanted to." She admitted quietly. "I think he could easily kill me if he really tried. But he hasn't tried yet." She didn't mention that he did, in fact, hurt her. "And what do you mean corrupt me?"

"Has that monster," the way he said monster made it sound like a slur, "done anything to you? Given you something or 'tampered with you'?"

Alanna felt herself lock up at his phrasing. _Give her something? Tamper with her?_ Gaster had never shown any interest in violating her. "He would never do something like that." She hated how defensive her words sounded to her own ears. She crossed her arms over her chest slightly holding herself at the dark thoughts of Gaster doing…. _anything_ to her.

"What do you mean he would never…" Cooper trailed off staring intently at her. "Do you honestly believe he's a good monster?" He took a small step toward Alanna his voice escalating the more he spoke. "Do you even know who he is?"

"Yes I do!" She rose to the challenge in his voice. "He was the Royal Scientist before Alphys. Weren't you just talking about how science can be good?" She asked dryly.

"He is no scientist!" Cooper snapped. "He is nothing like her. You know nothing, or is it that he has already corrupted you?" Another step and this time it felt threatening. Alanna glared daggers at Cooper even as her fear conjured her magic back into a standby.

"Oh, so I disagree with you and I'm either stupid or some sort of threat?" She took a slight step toward him. "Maybe the one who doesn't know anything is you." She growled back. Alanna was sick and tired of the constant ups and downs in Cooper's attitude. One moment they were almost friends and the next he was threatening her. Alanna didn't even care that her actual opinion on Gaster was shaky at best. She cared that this monster couldn't make up his mind to kill or befriend her.

"He is capable of horrors beyond imagination! He is a true monster! A deadly mastermind who only cares for himself! I know him better than you ever will. And I know that he is evil!" Cooper's face had twisted into a mask of pure hatred that made Alanna take a step backward. His power had slowly began to fill the room as he spoke and Alanna felt it surge in a small burst when he called Gaster evil. "If you are in contact with him then break it and stay away. He is dangerous."

"Out of the two of you only one has tried to kill me, Cooper. Guess which is which!" Alanna didn't realize how much she had been repressing with him around, but now her feelings poured forth. She was scared of Cooper. _Frightened_ of him. And angry. So fucking angry that he kept letting her see past the horrible act he committed against her only to threaten her again and again. Why did she even want to be his friend? This whole place was toxic, she thought bitterly. "Though I promise you're not the only one down here who has tried!" She marched past him not caring that she knew next to nothing about the Core.

Cooper turned and grabbed her arm as she tried to push past him. "Wait, I'm not done talking." Alanna felt the crushing strength in his grip and immediately threw out her shield as violently as possible. There was a horrible pulling pain as Cooper tried to hang on only to rip her arm out of socket as he was thrown away from her with the blast of her magic.

She screamed. A sound of rage and pain.

She cradled her arm glaring at the monster through the shifting magic of her shield. "Why does everyone down here want me to be hurt? None of this is my fault! You're a monster. A real monster!" She spoke breathlessly, angrily, as if keeping that honed edge of anger was the only thing keeping her going. Alanna kept her shield up and began to run, ignoring the hot spikes from her arm that resulted from the motion.

Alanna grit her teeth trying not to sob as she threw herself down hallways and past railings moving as fast as she possibly could her shield dropping after a moment. Behind her she could hear a few crashes and scraping sounds which only drove her faster.

"Alanna wait." Cooper's voice was soft. Weak sounding as she realized he was chasing her.

"Fuck off!" She called pushing even harder. The next turn she took had her slamming into the wall before she pushed off of it with a sob. Too fast, she thought belatedly, she was going way too fast.

"Alanna stop." Was the only warning before a green glowing blade, more like a dagger than the swords she had seen before, slammed into the ground in front of her. Alanna dodged to the side even as she felt the world flicker. She immediately realized she couldn't run any further and she skid to a stop. She spun to face her enemy bouncing onto her toes. Cooper had also slid to a stop, but Alanna's eyes widened as she realized he was bleeding. Well...it was green...but seemed like blood. She frowned slightly even as she was preparing to fight the man. She said nothing just stared him down, focusing on the space around her until she could practically feel the ozone moving in the air. His soul, mismatched as it was, glowed softly in front of his chest one half upside down and white while the other was rightside up and green much like his magic.

Cooper shifted his weight seeming to be getting his footing and Alanna tensed, only for her to feel it when he chose to ACT. "Why must you bubble everytime I try to talk to you?" His voice was laced with pain.

"You call that trying to talk to me?" She acted without real thought. "Accusing me of being corrupted then moving toward me like you were going to do something about it."

"I'm trying to help you!" He voice had begun to get louder but he cut it back to a normal volume abruptly. Trying to keep in control. He held his head. Alanna tried not to feel bad for him. "You don't know what you are getting yourself into."

Alanna thought of Gaster calmly telling her that the only solution to this situation was to kill Frisk. To fight Chara. Her shoulder throbbed in time with her heartbeat. "Yes I do." She sounded defeated. She knew what she had to do. That she had to get more power if she ever expected to save the monsters.

Cooper swayed slightly but seemed to catch himself before he fell over. Just how badly had she somehow hurt him? "Gaster should never be trusted. No matter the timeline. You need to listen to me."

Alanna slowly walked to him keeping a good foot between them just in case. "What would you have me do? I'm the one who has to fix this. No one else can. I need all the help I can get. Forgive me if I'm not willing to give up a steady source of help because someone I just met who's going to leave soon and who I'll never see again told me to." Alanna closed her eyes still focusing on the land between them. She could almost feel his weight on the metal below them. Feel the drop off into a hot nothing. "I have no real choice. Either I fix this or they all mutate. The whole of the underground rotting. I can't...I won't let that happen." She opened her eyes.

"You don't need him to save the underground." Cooper's voice was weaker than before. "There have been so many other ways to save them all." He didn't just sound weaker, he looked it too. He swayed a little and she felt him spare her. She accepted without commenting.

How could he understand? The horror that was Chara. The endless cycle of death that the monsters had been forced to live through over and over again. All of it sat on Alanna's shoulders. Nothing they had done in a very long time had done anything, and then Alanna showed up. She was new. Sans had called her the key.

"Cooper are you okay?" She asked carefully lowering her hurt arm and reaching out with her good one.

"I will be fine." He swayed and leaned against a nearby wall. "We need to get out of here. I'm sure we attracted unwanted attention."

"You need to eat something." She said reaching out to help brace him with her good arm. "And rest. I didn't mean to hurt you." She added in a quieter voice.

"It's fine." Cooper leaned slightly into her accepting her help. Alanna blinked realizing this was the closest they had been since he had carried her the day after they had fought. "You did catch me off guard though."

"Yeah, you caught me off guard too. You could have just let me leave." She added remembering the instant terror of how his hand and grabbed her arm. In the moment it felt so dangerous but now it seemed….silly at best. The two of them wounded. "Come on." She muttered taking some of his weight. "Let's head back the way we came."


	39. relocation

He was heavier than she thought bones should by rights should be, but it didn't kill her to help him walk.

"Our next date should end better." She joked out of breath. At each intersection Cooper would slightly lean her in the right direction. She was thankful he knew the way.

"Maybe a nice dinner and a show huh?" He joked back. She grinned at his comment despite the pain.

"Something not Mettaton?" Despite how nice the robot star had been Alanna was getting sick of the same exact actor in everything.

"Always not Mettaton," Cooper replied instantly. Alanna smirked and got the distinct impression that Cooper didn't quite like Mettaton that much. He was a very flamboyant and flirtatious monster, almost the complete opposite of Cooper. It made sense.

In the distance down a side hall Alanna spotted a monster she had never seen before. She trailed slowly to a stop getting ready to fight if she had to. They looked like Monster Kid, Alanna realized belatedly, but leached of all color.

"Crap, we don't need to fight." Alanna mumbled shifting her hold on Cooper to get a better grip. Her injured arm hung limply at her side. Cooper followed her gaze and his eye flashed dangerously. It reminded her of Sans funnily enough.

"Yeah we need to be gone from this place." He wiped a bit of his blood away. Alanna winced for him.

"Is that the way we need to go?" She asked pushing forward.

"No," Cooper steered her slightly away from the staring monster, "this way. To the right. After that we should be about to the end."

"Good." She huffed. "Cooper why did we fight?" She asked softly.

He let out a small pained chuckle. "You have to ask that?"

"Yes," she mumbled. "I don't fight with people normally. But with you…" She sighed.

"I tend to have that effect on people. Most don't get along with me."

"We get along sometimes." She pointed out. "And no one here has really tried to fight you at all."

"Yeah," he drawled, "no one."

"I just don't get it." Alanna huffed keeping them moving. She recognized the elevators and smiled slightly. "Also you keep hurting me and I'll kill you." She half-heartedly threatened.

"You weren't trying to kill me?" He asked jokingly. Alanna glared up at him.

"Would you like me to really try?" She couldn't keep a straight face for long. She smiled after a moment a small giggle escaping her. They stepped into the elevator watching with relief as the doors slid shut. Cooper leaned back against the elevators walls.

"This reminds me of the time we fought Omega." He groaned. "That hurt." He added tilting his head back to rest it against the wall as well. "Which timeline was that?"

"Omega?" Alanna asked lightly going back to cradling her arm. He slightly looked over.

"Oh." He muttered as if he just realized he had spoken aloud. "Tell you that one later."

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open to reveal Sans looking shocked at their appearance.

"Great." Cooper muttered.

"heya." Sans drawled putting his hands into his pockets. "this keeps happening, huh bud?" Sans looked to Cooper his smile looking a bit more forced. "least you look worse than her this time."

"Yeah? And you still look like trash." Cooper commented. He shifted groaning slightly. "If you don't mind helping her out?" Cooper nodded his head toward Alanna. She scowled at the two of them.

"Cooper obviously is hurt worse. Get him first I'll wait here for you." She said walking past Sans into the horrible heat.

He stared at Sans. "I'll be fine. Get her."

"I refuse." Alanna said lightly, pulling on her magic knowing the two could see the change in her eyes.

"heh. let's get to the _core_ of the problem here." He glanced back to Cooper. "what happened?"

"Sans." Alanna's voice dropped in anger. "Just fucking take us home. It's hot. I'm tired. And my arm is killing me."

"no need to get so _heated_." Sans muttered walking over to Cooper. "come on, bud. let's give the lady what she wants before this gets _elevated_."

Alanna groaned at the stupid puns. "You are the worst." She added. "This is serious."

"'course it is. i'm always serious."

Sans reached out to grab a hold of Cooper. "Careful Sans," Cooper added, "she'll split your skull." Just like that the two were gone. Alanna groaned even louder into the silence.

"Why do skeletons like puns so much! And at the worst times!" She yelled. "It's not even humerous." She paused. "Damn it I'm doing it too."

"was a good one."

Alanna whipped around, whimpering at the ache in her arm. "Damn it, Sans." She hissed.

"heh, didn't mean to scare ya." He put a hand at his back a sly smile on his face. "your friend weighs a skele _ton_ doesn't he?"

"Tibia honest you probably weigh more." Alanna shot back.

"you _injure_ me, kid."

"I'll kill you." Alanna deadpanned.

"nah. you'd miss my great jokes." Sans held out his arms. "alright. c'mere kid."

Alanna sighed but moved into the circle of Sans' arms. He was very careful with her injury and she was suddenly standing in the living room. Cooper was propped against one of the walls his eyes immediately went to them as they appeared.

"can I see your arm?" Sans asked already moving to look at her arm. He inspected it for a moment. "looks dislocated." He muttered his voice going back into the more clinical tones of when he was focused on a problem. "so, how was the date? was it _hot_?"

"It was exciting. The next one will be even better." Cooper commented.

Sans' eye lights went out. Alanna gaped at the two of them.

"There was no date!" She said forcefully.

"how 'bout one then?" Sans asked casually his lights returning. "haven't seen you go to grillby's yet." Alanna gaped at the sudden invitation, just as Sans forcefully jerked her arm up twisting as he did so.

There was a dull pop. Alanna screamed and jerked away from Sans who was already holding his hands up in surrender.

"Fuck!" She yelled bending over clutching her arm. Cooper was staring at Sans his eye glowing more than usual.

"you ok?"

"Ugh," Alanna straightened holding her shoulder protectively. "Yeah. I'm okay."

"good. offer still stands."

She ignored the two of them moving to sit on the couch. Alanna hadn't dated in such a long time, but the thought of going on a date with Sans. A real date, was interesting. She hadn't realized anyone other than maybe Mettaton thought of her that way.

"You know what? Sure. It's been years since I had a real date." She said leaning back and closing her eyes.

"How about a snack first to heal before that?" Cooper offered.

"Better idea." She sighed. "Getting up is bad though." She sighed.

"It's a good thing we have your friend here." Cooper glanced pointedly to Sans.

"You both are insufferable." Alanna sighed getting up slowly before heading toward the door. She still cradled her bad arm but it did feel a little better than before. More of a soreness than real pain. Cooper groaned as she went out the door.

Beatrix looked worried about how she was holding her arm, but Alanna assured her it was just a practice session gone wrong. She ate a cinnamon bunny on the way home and was able to move her arm fully without pain by the time she got to the door.

"Back." She called as she walked into the living room. Cooper had taken up residence on the couch with Sans nowhere to be found. Alanna went and sat next to him pushing a bag full of pastries at him. "Here, the rest are yours."

Cooper hardly moved his head as he looked at her to take the bag. "Thanks." He said before tearing into the first. Alanna sat quietly while he healed himself, watching as the wounds on his head slowly began to repair.

"Sorry." Alanna muttered. "I didn't mean to."

He sighed and rolled his head testing it. "I know you didn't." She sighed leaning back her leg brushing slightly against Cooper as she did so.

"So, I'm guessing from your display earlier that you can leave now?"

"Yes I can leave now. My power has re _cooper_ ated it seems." Cooper flexed his hands as he spoke. Alanna let the pun go laughing slightly at it she'd heard enough repeat puns from Sans that she didn't mind his. She wondered if she could get her name to be a pun.

"When will you go?"

"When I am rested." Cooper answered simply. "Perhaps tomorrow morning."

Alanna nodded pushing back a small pang of sadness. Why should she miss someone who constantly hurt her? They hardly got along at all. Yet here the two of them were sitting together. Or maybe they were both too tired to move. But all their fights seemed so far away at the moment. She closed her eyes exhaustion pulling at her. She wasn't even sure it was getting close to night in the underground. Not having a watch did strange things to a person's perception of time.

Cooper was leaving. It felt so final. "Do you ever go back to timelines you've been in before?"

He leaned back into the couch shifting it a bit as he got comfortable. "I do at times." Alanna tilted herself so that she was facing him more. "It's rare I find a timeline that I want to go back to." He sighed and Alanna wondered how many bad timelines he had seen. "I think I'll come back here though." He added.

"Really?" She hated that she sounded pleased. "I mean, why would you want to come back here?" She said schooling her voice back into a neutral tone.

"I was pulled to this timeline for a reason. I need to investigate more. There are good monsters here and they deserve to be protected." Cooper glanced to Alanna. "Besides, I also need to make sure trouble stays away from you."

"I can hold my own," she waved his concern away even as she found it slightly sweet. "But they do deserve to be protected. That's why I'm training. With all this going on I'm the only one who can actually save them."

She wondered vaguely if she would be able to save them. She wasn't naturally inclined to fight but she figured with enough hard work she could change that. Maybe then she would be enough.

"I don't know if you are the only one, but I'm sure you can help." Cooper said.

"I'm the only thing that's different here." She said softly. "Your presence here makes that clear enough. They were stuck in an endless loop. Now I'm here and it's different. That has to mean something."

"Then maybe you are the key to their salvation." Alanna glanced to her hands as he spoke. "Keep helping them. Monsters need to be saved."

Alanna could agree with that. She slowly felt herself falling asleep the longer she sat there. Cooper didn't move much so it was almost too easy to drift into the darkness of sleep.

The normal darkness of her sleep deepened twisted and shifted until she found herself standing on solid darkness itself. A grey room flickered briefly before it was swallowed by the dark place once more. Gaster was suddenly there, and immediately she mentally reached out till she could feel the smoke-like appendages that curled around the two of them.

"Now that our distraction is leaving shortly we can get to work." Alanna frowned when Gaster called Cooper a distraction, but he continued as if he hadn't seen her expression. "We still need to build up your body as you learn the basics of fighting. Once that has met completion…" A smile twisted his features almost crack as it did so. "We will train your magic both defensively and offensively."

"Right." Alanna muttered settling herself into the defensive position he had taught her previously. He sighed moving slightly closer to her.

"Your footing is wrong. Are you so simple I must re-teach you everything?"

Alanna bit her lip at the insult but attempted to fix her stance. Eventually Gaster seemed pleased and began his attacks. Each failure was met with a blow and a scathing comment.

Time seemed irrelevant in the darkness, and soon she lost herself to the crack of blows and the stretch of muscles. Alanna wondered vaguely why she was allowing herself to be constantly berated, but it was like Cooper had said. She needed to keep fighting for them. She had to, because no one else could. Gaster was only trying to help her get better, she told herself, that's why he was so hard. That's why this hurt.

She would do it for them.

Gaster glanced up his face twisting slightly in anger. "Blast the meddling…" His face smoothed almost instantly. "It seems this is all the time we have tonight. We shall continue later." He dismissed Alanna with a wave of his hand, and she startled awake seeing cooper standing with his eyes closed one hand outstretched toward her.

Alanna immediately expecting danger threw up her shield which caused an immediate pop of magic and a curse from Cooper as he grabbed his hand.

After a few seconds of cursing he actually seemed to focus on Alanna. "Oh, you're awake." He coughed awkwardly and cleared his throat.


	40. When One Door Closes

"What were you doing?" Alanna asked letting her shield drop.

"I was getting up. You wrapped around me and pulled me closer to you in your sleep."

"Okay bullshit," Alanna said with a small glare thrown his way, "what you were just doing was some kind of magic. On me." She felt a small blush spring up as she added, "I did not wrap around you either." Alanna was known to be a cuddly person when she was sleeping, often using people as pillows. But Cooper was not just getting up...and she did not want to think of how she might have held onto Cooper all night. It was bad enough that she had done something similar with Sans once before.

Cooper watched her for a moment. "I...I noticed you were having a nightmare so I was going to comfort you."

"With magic?" She asked raising an eyebrow. Seeing the big gruff warrior suddenly stuttering and talking about wanting to comfort her was offsetting. She sat fully up, crossing her legs and looking into the green dot that was his eye. "I've never heard of magic that comforts someone. Care to explain?"

"Have you met every monster in the Underground?" He asked curiously. Alanna grit her teeth at his almost mocking tone. "We got doctors." He stretched and yawned. "Besides you are awake and okay now."

"I've seen healing magic." Alanna mumbled still angry. "That wasn't it. But whatever," she pushed herself up stretching. There were a few deep sounding pops as she did so. "I don't feel any different so I guess it doesn't matter." Papyrus would be getting up soon and she would have to train with him. She needed to at least wash her face. She felt dirty from yesterday.

Cooper straightened his clothes and adjusted his hood so that he looked almost exactly like he did when they first met. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Are you?" She looked at him, really looked at him. It felt strangely final this moment between them. She memorized his face and the way he utilized shadow to cover the human part of his face. His posture. Everything. She had a feeling she might not see him again despite what he said.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He looked to her and just kept looking. He was searching her face as if he were looking for the answer to some question that had been bothering him. The longer he looked the more self-conscious Alanna became. His visible eye widened a fraction and he jerked his gaze away from her.

"Um...so this is it huh? You're leaving." She stated trying to break the tension. "I hope things go well for you." She added awkwardly. Alanna realized how stupid it had to be for her to wish the man who attacked and wanted her dead any sort of happiness, but she did. He almost felt like a friend. If he stayed he might have become her actual friend. The thought saddened her a bit.

"Thank you. I hope things go well for you too." He sighed and looked back to Alanna. "'ll be back sometime," he said as he started to walk away, "Until then take care, Bubbles." He laughed before disappearing in a quick flash of green.

"Asshat!" She hissed at the empty space. She immediately sat back on the couch feeling even more exhausted than before. While waiting for Papyrus to wake up she slowly but surely slipped into unconsciousness.

When Alanna woke she felt off knowing that Cooper was somehow gone. Truly gone. A part of her wanted to search the underground but kept herself from doing so. Instead she let Papyrus drag her from the house. He had promised 'A VERY BIG SURPRISE' and she was sure that he meant it.


	41. NYAH

"What took you so long?" The voice was gruff and deeply female. Alanna immediately pushed her feet into the ground trying to stop Papyrus from dragging her closer. In the fog between Snowdin and Waterfall was standing Undyne, Captain of the Royal Guard. She was scarier in person. The teal of her scales were deeper than the video feed had shown and had a slight shimmer. She was nothing but muscle. She was watching Alanna with her one good eye narrowed. "This the punk you were telling me about, Papy?"

"Papyrus I don't think-"

"YES! UNDYNE THIS IS THE WONDEROUS ALANNA. NEWEST HUMAN IN THE UNDERGROUND AND ONE OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS, LIKE YOU!" Papyrus said presenting her with a flourish. She immediately blushed which made her terror feel strange. "ALANNA. THIS IS ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS THE TERRIFYING UNDYNE. SHE'S THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD!"

"Paps." Alanna said under her breath. "Doesn't she hate humans?"

"SAY HELLO!"

Alanna slowly moved to Undyne watching her every movement along the way. When it seemed like she wasn't moving fast enough Undyne marched up to her grabbing her hand and shaking it roughly twice.

"Nice to meet the new human." She huffed. "Papyrus said you were training with him."

Alanna nodded. "Yeah, I wanted to learn how to fight."

Undyne smiled then revealing a row of razor sharp teeth. "You planning on dusting someone, human?" It was low. Angry.

"Dusting?" Alanna asked taking a step back. A small concession of who was scaring who. Undyne, however, blinked at her confusion.

"Oh man," Undyne laughed putting a hand on her head. "You're just like the kid aren't you? I bet you can't hit hard to save your life!"

"I, um," Alanna began.

"heh." Sans' voice came from the side of the meeting. How had she not noticed him there? "she can really _crack_ _some skulls_ if she needs to."

"SANS!" Papyrus yelled marching over to berate his brother.

An iron strong grip suddenly latched onto her arm. "You gonna hurt him, human? If so-"

"Excuse me?" Alanna hissed meeting her yellow eye. "I would never! You have no idea what they have done for me." She took a step forward knowing it was completely stupid but anger had always made her reckless. She felt her magic rising up and Undyne tensed crushing her arm just a bit more. "He's one of my best friends." Alanna hadn't realized until she said it aloud that it was true. "I'm learning all this to help save him. And you."

"I've never seen a human do that. Unless they were a mage." Undyne said her gaze locked on Alanna's eyes. "You have magic."

"Yeah, I do." Alanna confirmed holding her gaze.

"Well," Undyne huffed her grip suddenly softer, "at least you have some fighting spirit." She suddenly grinned her arm going to wrap around her shoulders. "We'll just have to fan that spark into an INFERNO! Right, Papy?" She called out.

"CORRECT!" He called. Alanna realized they had been watching the two of them, and Papyrus was blushing slightly. "SANS." He stage whispered. "THE HUMAN CALLED ME HER BEST FRIEND."

"sure did."

"WOWIE." Papyrus breathed. "NOW TWO OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE GOING TO TRAIN TOGETHER!"

Alanna's attention was pulled back to Undyne as she began to poke and prod at her arms and legs. Alanna blushed brightly at the woman touching her so casually.

"We're gonna have to build up those muscles before I really start training you." Undyne muttered to herself. "Okay time to run some laps!" She grinned. "And I'll even do it with you. Let's see if you can keep up."

She couldn't.

By the time Undyne had let her stop running she threw up two times. Alanna wanted nothing more than to sleep but Undyne held out her hand and a blue spear crackled into existence.

"That was a good warm up."

"Warm up?!" Alanna echoed in shock. Undyne nodded.

"You'll be running with me every morning now." She explained while she twirled the spear in dizzying patterns. "Then we'll work on the basics of fighting using a weapon." She showed Alanna the spear. "Once you have those down and can run without throwing up, we can start battle."

"YOU'LL BE TRAINING WITH ME TOO!"

"I'm going to die." Alanna breathed.

"Fuhuhuhu no," Undyne laughed, "but you're gonna want to in the beginning."

The first week was torture. Undyne had taken to her training with her whole soul. Alanna found that it was hard to say no to her when she really wanted something. So she pushed harder. Fought herself to exhaustion which only prompted another training session with Gaster. All of her trainers were ruthless accepting nothing but her very best. Undyne drilled her in stances and blocks till she was blue in the face. Papyrus made her expend her magic and even Undyne helped her with magic control after her initial look at it.

Gaster drilled her in how to make her shields explode. Over and over again until she could do it on demand. Then he began making her create them outside of herself. Then smaller. Or not as a bubble at all.

Sans was mostly absent though he did watch her every once in a while. He didn't say much about it other than a few well-placed puns.


	42. dating start

_**Hello! Seeing as it was my birthday a few days ago I thought it was only prudent that I get you all a present. That's how it works right? There will be another author's note at the bottom, but thank you all so much for reading our little fic. We have a lot of fun making it which is the reason we did this fic at all. As always follows/favorites/reviews are always appreciated and honestly help us work through some of the tougher bits.**_

 _ **3 Moriarty**_

Another week passed and Alanna realized that she could run much further and faster than she had been able to previously. It took her completely by surprise when Sans suddenly appeared in front of her after a session.

"hey kid."

"I'm 23." She responded as a greeting.

"right." Sans walked alongside her looking vaguely uncomfortable. "so, uh, you look less tired." Alanna knew for a fact that she did not.

"Yeah, I guess."

"so, you still gonna take me up on that offer?" Alanna paused looking to Sans who was avoiding her gaze as if his life depended on it.

"You mean the date?"

A light dusting of blue crossed his face and Alanna found herself smiling at it. "yeah. that." It was endearing to see Sans looking flustered.

"Where do you want to go? I might need to change." Undyne had given Alanna a few sets of her clothes which she had taken to using for fighting. "And shower."

"uh, you still haven't been to grillby's."

Alanna began walking back to the house Sans trailing after her. "Well I went there once. That's when a good portion of the royal guard met me." Not when she met them.

"yeah, i heard." He chuckled slightly. "kid told me about that in detail. said you looked like a superhero when you protected one of them."

"I wasn't." She shrugged. "Though they like to bring me little gifts when they see me now." Alanna had a small box that had a good amount of bones and scraps of cloth that she had been given by the group at this point.

"means they like ya."

Alanna laughed at that. It didn't take her long to clean up and to get into her little grey dress she loved so much. She swore it sometimes fixed itself. Little catches and the like would magically be gone the next time she wore it. Muffet had to be an amazing seamstress, and an even better baker if the rumors were true. Frisk told Alanna to avoid her area if possible. Something to do with her having a pet who liked to play too much.

"Okay," Alanna said sweeping back into the living room. "I'm ready. I think."

"c'mere then," Sans said with a grin, "i know a shortcut."

One moment they were walking to the kitchen the next she was in front of Grillby's. It smelled great and Sans merely held the door open for her. She smiled at the gesture and stepped inside. It was almost habit to brace herself for battle when she entered a new part of the underground.

"I know that smell." A female voice muttered. Dogaressa quickly moved to Alanna who tensed slightly at the sudden approach. "Alanna!" She felt strong arms wrap around her for a quick hug.

"heh, getting a little friendly with my date." Sans rattled off from behind her.

"Oh!" The monster looked between the two of them for a moment. "Are we going to have competition for the nose nuzzle contest?"

"The what?"

"our booth is over here." Sans muttered ducking his head. Dogaressa simply laughed and gave Alanna one last pat on the shoulder before joining her husband at their table. Alanna sat down and smiled at Sans.

"So what do you recommend?" She asked glancing around the low lit environment. Sans and Alanna were getting more than a few stares from the other monsters.

"grillbs makes the best burgers in the underground."

" _I should hope so._ " The sound Alanna heard should not have made sense. It was a gentle crackling and hiss of fire. She twisted to see the same monster made of fire as before. She had seen them watching her from behind Frisk and MK. " _Will this be on your tab?"_

Grillby was very dignified for fire given a humanoid form. He had a small pair of glasses perched in the shape of his face which she found interesting. He wore a long sleeved white shirt with a black vest. He even had a bowtie.

"'course. alanna this is grillby. grillby meet alanna." Sans introduced.

" _It is a pleasure to meet you."_ He said with a sight half-bow. " _Though I believe you saw me before."_

"he says hi." Sans said as if translating.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too." Alanna said to him with a small smile. "And I did see you, but was slightly busy when I did. I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself before now."

"you understand him?" Sans was truly looking her over now. As if he could figure something out if he just stared long and hard enough.

" _It seems she can."_ Grillby answered for her. " _Your magic. I would like to see it again if you don't mind."_

"Inside?" She asked glancing around.

" _Of course, I wouldn't want you to get cold just to sate my curiosity."_

Alanna looked to Sans who simply nodded at her. Grillby stepped aside as she got out of the booth. She moved slightly away and after a moment's hesitation created her shield. Grillby went stock still as he stared at the slow-moving lacey light.

" _May I?"_ He held out a flaming hand. Alanna swallowed her apprehension and nodded already hating the murmuring of the monsters around them. Grillby placed his hand on the surface of her magic and she could feel the soft heat like a candle held near her skin. She felt a smaller graze behind her and she twisted to see Sans watching her.

"you can feel it then." He said looking like he was trying to figure something out.

"Um, yeah. Faintly."

" _Thank you."_ Grillby removed his hand even as he watched her. She could feel something about his expression was troubled. Worried.

Alanna let the shield go and stood in front of him for a moment. He moved closer and reached out to touch her hand. Alanna realized a second too late that he was fire. It didn't matter. The hand he used was pleasantly warm. His flames licked up the sides of her hand as he brought it to non-existent lips.

" _I hope you will visit me more."_

"hittin' on my date?" Sans asked looking amused.

" _Of course not."_ He put a hand on Alanna's back to guide her back to her seat. " _I am far too old."_ He chuckled, and it sounded like the warm crackle of flames. " _However, I don't want her to avoid my establishment. I enjoy good company."_ He mentioned glancing to Alanna.

She sat back across from Sans smiling at him.

"two burgers sound good to you?" He asked. Alanna nodded. "then two burgers it is. you must be so excited to _meat_ someone from the surface, huh?" He asked Grillby. She swore she saw a slight smile spring onto the fire elemental's face.

"Burger puns? Really?" Alanna said holding back her own smile.

"what? you gotta problem with my jokes?"

"No not at all." Alanna replied breezily. "I just didn't expect a burger joke. They're a _rare medium well done_."

Sans stared at her for a good moment before he suddenly broke into deep laughter. Even Grillby laughed before heading back to the bar. Sans took a minute to calm down. Once he had stopped chuckling he leaned forward across the table a bit.

"grillbs seems to like you." Sans said lacing his fingers together. "isn't a touchy sort of guy."

"He's pretty nice." She said running her fingertips over the smooth surface of their table.

"yeah." That perpetual smile he wore seemed strained. "so, how's training going?"

"I'm dying." Alanna deadpanned. His eyes flickered to her face before looking back to her hands.

"undyne and my bro can be tough."

"Mettaton said he wants to start helping in his freetime too." Alanna laughed. "So I'll have four teachers."

"three." He was watching Alanna closely and she realized where she had messed up.

"Well Cooper helped a little." She recovered almost too easily.

"he doesn't count." Sans said too quickly. "he was here for a few days. then he left. still not sure how he managed that."

"I guess," She said softly. Sans crossed his arms looking defensive.

"i would offer, but i'm not a good teacher. not like pap or undyne." Sans said with a shrug. "that and i have really low hp."

"How low?"

"one." He smirked while Alanna gasped. "don't worry about me, i'm pretty tough."

"I'm sure you are. You're still here." He smiled at that. A real smile not the fake one he had plastered on all the time.

Grillby stopped by then to give them each a burger that smelled like heaven and a drink each. Alanna gave him a thankful smile, and she felt that he smiled back before heading back to the bar. Alanna glanced at the liquid suspiciously. Sans' was ketchup, she could see and smell that. Hers was slightly clear. It didn't smell like water though, and it shimmered faintly in the dim light.

"What's this?" She asked showing him her glass. Sans snorted then took a sip of his bottle.

"try it."

Alanna stared for a moment then took a small sip. Whatever it was, it was nothing she had ever had before. It tasted sweet like honeysuckle dipped in sugar but the way it buzzed and coated her mouth told her it was pure magic. Sans burst into laughter at the look on her face.

"it's called ambrosia." Sans gasped between breaths. "it's like alcohol. grillby makes it special. you said you were an adult so i figured you could drink some if you wanted."

"It's so much better than actual alcohol." Alanna said taking another sip. The flavor had shifted into an apple-like sweetness. She could feel the magic buzzing in her system already making it easier to smile.

"you should eat." Sans said nodding toward her burger. "don't want to drink much of that without food."

Alanna took a bite of the burger. It was amazing. It tasted like it was made from the freshest of ingredients.

"so…" Sans muttered tracing a fingerbone around the rim of his glass. "what was life like for you before all this?"

"Oh," Alanna took a small sip of her drink letting the motion give her a moment to think. "Not really that special. I wasn't important really. Just a normal person doing their job and going back home at the end of the day."

Sans was watching her, more intently than he had in a long time. It felt strange. Some lasting part of her still wanted to run. To put space between them. He stayed silent eyelights never wavering from her face. Alanna glanced down toward her food.

"I moved to Ebbot not long ago." She said if only to fill the tense silence. "I got a job at a local radio station. I worked mornings mostly. The really early shows that were just ending as people were getting to work. I had an apartment. I mostly watched movies and played video games." She trailed off unsure of what else to tell him.

"not a science girl?"

"No, definitely not. I'm not very good at math." Alanna took a bite of her burger. It was so much better fresh. She sat the burger back down and quickly swallowed. "I was okay at words though. And I had listened to the radio all my life. Almost religiously. So when I went to college I knew I wanted to do something that could get me into radio. Journalism seemed the best idea. They really pushed toward television, but I was always sure that I wanted to go to a radio station. So I did. Ebbot offered me a job and here I am."

"how did you fall?"

"Hiking. I went up the mountain mostly in spite of the legends surrounding it. That people disappeared when they went up. Some said they were eaten by monsters." Alanna glanced around her. "I guess they were half right."

"half right?"

"Yeah, not eaten but definitely trapped with you guys." Alanna took another bite trying not to bring down the lighthearted mood.

"so when did you realize you had magic?"

"Not till I met my first monster." Alanna answered between bites. "Though she seemed to think I had magic before I even knew it." It was strange that Toriel had encouraged her to try and bring out some sort of power. From what she had gathered humans having magic was rare, humans having powers like her own were unheard of.

"so you never showed signs of it before?" The room shifted. Alanna glanced up and Sans' gaze had gone from probing to piercing. It almost felt like she was being drawn out, all of herself revealed underneath those eyes.

"No." She answered confused and slightly unsettled. She swore in the distance she could hear bells toiling. Her stomach twisted. "I didn't even believe in magic."

"not even a little?" The feeling faded and she relaxed.

"Nope. I liked to read about it though." Alanna took another sip. It tasted like cherries. "Fantasy was my favorite."

"heh I guess I don't need to _spell_ it out that you were wrong." Sans had somehow already eaten all of his food, though Alanna hadn't seen him move to take a bite. He sipped thoughtfully on the ketchup. She giggled slightly at his joke.

"You have so many puns for everything." Alanna a wicked grin crossing her face. "You must keep them under _warlock_ and key."

"woah, that one really _blue_ my mind." Sans said a crackle of blue shivering over his phalanges at the comment. Alanna grinned. Two could play that game.

"I have a _silver_ of talent." She said pulling on her magic to make her eyes change. The grin on his face changed slightly and the normal tense atmosphere that surrounded him seemed to lift.

"heh, patella 'nother one. if you can." There were a few groans from a nearby table.

"Skeleton jokes? Those are for people who have _no guts_." She shot back. Another groan this time louder. The sound only seemed to drive Sans on.

"you can't get _under my skin_ with comments like that." Alanna laughed more of the tension falling away from her. It was almost too easy to banter with Sans. Maybe dating was supposed to be like this. She felt herself blush slightly at the thought.

"Jokes like these take a lot of spine." She said after a moment's pause.

"i've got a _skele-_ ton more."

"You use that one all the time." Alanna protested.

"grilbs, i think i need to give my date back because she's all _burnt_ out." He called slightly louder than normal. Alanna tried to glare but it broke down into a smile after a moment. He winked at her. She giggled at the action.

"Wow you're on _fire_ tonight. Might need to _cool_ it down, I don't play _ice._ " It was Sans this time who needed a moment laughing over his drink.

"it's a good thing you know sign language. it can be a little _handy_ to have." He blurted out.

Alanna wracked her brain looking for anything that could be used as a pun. She would not lose now!

"I can't trust you Sans." She said laughing.

"oh yeah?" He asked immediately playing into her joke.

"Yeah. You can't trust atoms. They make up everything!"

The groans were even louder, they were being watched by rather amused patrons. Grillby was cleaning a glass but was watching the same as the others. It seemed they were the entertainment for the night. Sans seemed to notice at the same time she did for he flashed a grin at the onlookers.

"hey what do you do with a dead chemist?" Sans asked.

"What?" She played along just like he did.

"you _barium."_ It took Alanna a moment but she doubled over when the joke hit.

"What happens to nitrogen when the sun comes up?" She asked. Instantly she wished she hadn't mentioned the surface.

"what?" He asked as if it didn't bother him.

"It becomes _Day_ trogen." She finished less enthusiastically than before.

"undyne didn't think i could make a car out of spaghetti. you should have seen the look on her face when I drove _pasta._ "

"The past, present, and future all walked into a bar." She said motioning around them. "It was _tense_."

"i took a nap in the fireplace the other night. i slept like a log."

Alanna laughed and tried to think of another pun but her mind ran into a blank wall. After a minute she hung her head and waved a napkin over her head.

"I give up."

Sans grinned. She hadn't realized that they had been leaning toward each other during the match but she noticed now. He was propped up on one arm his eyes dancing with his victory. Alanna covered her mouth as she yawned.

"come on," he said getting up. "you look _bone_ tired."

"I said I give up." Alanna laughed following suit. Grillby nodded at them as they left. The night was just beginning all soft greys with the twilight of the underground. A soft breeze curled around them.

"tell me one of your favorite things." Sans said slowly walking. It was a pace that would take a little bit to get to the house.

"My favorite poem is Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep by Mary Elizabeth Frye." She blurted immediately. "I had to memorize it for my poetry class and I've loved it ever since. We had to memorize a lot of poems actually." Her go to response for any 'get to know each other' games back in college.

"say it."

"Uh, I don't know…." Alanna blushed and hoped the darkness covered it. "I'm not really…"

"come on, it's just me."

"But…"

"you do this and i'll play for you sometime."

Alanna sighed. "Fine."

She glanced at Sans who was watching with that same lazy grin he always wore by default. Her stomach flipped a little as it always did when she was performing in any aspect. She took a deep breath in and then let it out.

"Do not stand at my grave and weep," she glanced down and away from him as if it would make it less awkward. "I am not there. I do not sleep." Memory surfaced and her voice immediately became dreamy. Soft spoken and low. How her teacher had wanted. She closed her eyes blocking Sans out completely.

"I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in morning's hush,

I am the swift uplifting rush

of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there. I did not die."

Just like the few times she had performed the piece for others she felt like she had risen from some deep depth. Opening her eyes she saw that Sans had lost the smug look and instead was watching her with a quiet almost unreadable expression. He stood in silence still just staring at her. She gave him a half-embarrassed smile and began to walk toward the house again. After a few seconds she could hear the soft crunch of his following footsteps.

He had quietly asked Alanna to repeat the poem for Papyrus' bedtime. She balked at doing it again, but Papyrus and Frisk easily wrangled it out of her. Papyrus went starry eyed. Frisk smiled at the poem. Sans watched from the doorway still watching her with that strange look in his eyes.

Later when she was alone she wrote the poem down for the brothers. It could be part of their nighttime routine if they wanted. She slipped it into the back of one of their storybooks and then went to sleep herself.

 _ **Okay here comes the bottom bit! I didn't want to mention it in the beginning because of spoilers and such, but I will be using little bits of poetry and songs every once in a while. I do not own that poem, but it is actually one of my favorites that isn't a million miles long.**_


	43. The Heroine

Sans was more at ease around her after that, but with the constant hounding from Gaster, and her other teachers Alanna began to put her whole attention into training. Sans seemed a little bummed when she brushed past him each morning. She tried to shoot puns at him when she could, but there was something more important on the line. She had to win, for them. All of them. Especially for Sans who had shown her that the ones who hadn't trusted her from the beginning were still worth saving. It made her even more determined.

"Nerd!" The gruff bark startled Alanna out of the daze she had been stewing in. Just in time for her to move out of the way of a spear crackling with energy. Undyne stood a good distance away another spear already in her hand. "Nyah." She huffed slamming the spear into the ground beside her. "What's going on?" She called across the expanse.

Alanna sighed letting herself sink onto the ground. It felt nice to sit down. She let go of her own spear which clattered onto the soil beside her. Undyne took a long moment to look at her before Alanna felt the wash of relief that came with a monster sparing her. Alanna stayed seated.

It had been about three weeks since her date with Sans, and she had devoted herself to training. That came with some serious drawbacks. Alanna hadn't been very social. Hardly taking the time to properly eat or socialize. Her body wanted to fail her. Even so she knew she was getting stronger. She could now run with Undyne without throwing up. It was the after parts that she was still working on. That and Gaster's training had started to leave a heavy emotional burden. Alanna could hardly look at Frisk without a myriad of guilt and apprehension.

"Hey, you alright?" Undyne had walked over during Alanna's contemplation. She glanced up realizing belatedly that the spear had fizzled out. Alanna forced a smiled at her and nodded slightly. She glanced down to Undyne's boots studying them. They were well worn, probably scavenged from the garbage dump from the look of them. Alanna wondered if Alphy's had given them to her. "You don't seem okay." She said sitting next to her. "Spit it out." She ordered.

Where Papyrus was all hope and energy Undyne was force. Even when she was attempting to be nice there was an almost violent undercurrent. Like she would rather be sparring with you than patting you on the back.

"Just tired." Alanna said closing her eyes for emphasis. A sharp slap on her back had her eyes flying open once more.

"No lying, human." She growled through pointed teeth. "Or would you rather I went and got Pappy?"

Alanna stiffened slightly meeting Undyne's challenging gaze. She didn't need Papyrus to come around when she was like this. It would only worry him.

"No offense, but I don't really feel comfortable talking about my feelings with you." Undyne's eyes widened the smallest bit. "It's not that I'm not grateful for you teaching me. I am." Alanna said quickly. "But I don't know you well enough. That and I know how you feel about humans."

"You're right." Undyne leaned back slightly watching Alanna through hooded eyes. "Honestly? The first time I met you, even after all the promises I made to the kid and Papyrus, I still wanted to slaughter you on the spot. I have no reason to be your friend. Sparing you is going against everyone's hopes and dreams here in the underground."

"Thought so." Alanna sighed too tired to care. She'd come back if Undyne decided to try and really kill her.

"We have six." Undyne's voice was low. The sound of it made a chill run up Alanna's back. "Six human souls. We need just one more and everyone goes free."

Alanna shifted uncomfortably at the intensity of her tone.

"I betrayed every single monster by becoming besties with Frisk." Undyne said her eyes locked onto Alanna. "I gave up our freedom for a human child." She flashed her teeth in a poor imitation of a smile. It more felt like she was baring her teeth than actually trying to be friendly. "Then, they asked me to spare you too. So did Pappy." She sat back slightly pressing her hands into her eyes. "Finally another chance to prove myself. To save everyone." There was a fevered note in her voice. "And instead…" She looked to Alanna then, those yellow eyes wracked with anger and guilt.

"Here we are." Alanna hated to see that look in her eyes. They weren't close by any means, in fact this whole conversation was only showing how much Undyne was wishing she could just kill her, but seeing all that guilt and anger was like a slap in the face.

"I'm training you." She huffed.

"Do you really think that killing me would fix everything?" Alanna asked cautiously.

"Yes." She answered without reservation. Her face twisted slightly regret flashing across it for a fraction of a second. "No?" She groaned teal magic flashing across her hands and in her eyes. "I don't know." Her voice was so quiet. "Asgore said he could break the barrier with the last soul."

"You're a knight." Alanna said leaning forward to slowly begin tracing her necklace's shape in the damp soil. "Sworn to the royal family. To the monsters of the Underground. You have to put their needs first. Always."

"Yeah."

"You've all been trapped down here. So long that you've seemed to fade from humanity's collective consciousness. I can't imagine what that's like. To have your entire people trapped for so long. Caged. I've only been here a short time, but even I feel cramped. Locked up without an escape." Alanna glanced away from her dirt drawing to Undyne for a moment. "Desperate."

"I grew up in this place." Undyne said softly. "I remember that my parents were in the war. But I don't remember the sun or the sky like some of the older monsters here. I think I have it easier." The tone was so somber and unlike Undyne it felt painful to hear. All her bravado stripped away laying her feelings bare to a human of all people.

"You feel like you have to fight. For them. For everyone here. All that responsibility and you finally find a solution only for it not to work. Then a second chance comes along and…" Alanna glanced down at herself. "But….do you really think that taking my soul and breaking the barrier is the best way to go about this?"

"How else would we get out?" Undyne snapped another flash of teal racing across her hands. Alanna had to swallow her fear of being impaled to continue.

"There has to be another way."

"Asgore said-"

"Do you really want your first act before going to the Surface to be one of murder?" Alanna cut in harshly, flinching at her own tone.

"You're a human." Undyne growled. "You're just trying to save your own skin. You don't care-"

Anger flared as did Alanna's determination. She felt her body grow rigid with the fury. "If you think that killing me will magically fix every problem and free you all then do it. But don't think for one moment just because you're a monster and I'm a human that means that I don't have the capacity to love you all. To want your freedom just as much as my own. More even. That I wouldn't sacrifice everything to save you all. You want my soul?" Alanna pushed to her feet her magic roaring to life underneath her skin. "Take it."

"Don't be an idiot!" Undyne snapped moving fluidly to her feet.

"What if there's another way?" Alanna asked quietly.

"There isn't-"

"Then there's nothing more to be said." Alanna snapped. Adrenaline danced through her veins expanding her awareness letting her feel the ground underneath her. The throbbing of her own heart like a distant drum. "But if you're wrong. If there was a way to do this and save _everyone_ it will be your fault for not trying it."

Undyne looked furious. A familiar flare of magic created a spear that crackled and hissed in her webbed hands.

"I understand that your loyalty to your people and to the king demands you kill me. I'm not your friend like Frisk. I get that. You don't like humans. We did this to your people."

"Damn right you did."

"You've already killed 6 humans. What's one more?" Alanna breathed. "You wouldn't even have to hurt Frisk."

Alanna could see her contemplating it. The arguments weighing in her mind. All the while that spear crackled searing away any fog that dared touch it. The fog felt thicker, more menacing. Like something was watching just outside of view.

"Right." Undyne's voice sounded off. Her posture hadn't changed and her eyes were still filled with fury but something was off. Wrong.

"I'm trying to help you all. I'm trying to figure out a way to fix all of this. But killing will only lead to more killing. Slaughter." Alanna thought to Frisk's trembling voice. How Chara had killed everyone. "Genocide."

Somewhere in the depths of Undyne's eyes something flickered. Like a half remembered dream terror shined in her eyes. The hand holding the spear lowered slightly. Maybe the others _could_ remember all of the times where Chara had slashed their way through them. Not as well as Sans or Frisk, but maybe some deeper part of them could remember the pain.

"You…" She was gritting her teeth eyes locked on the ground where Alanna had drawn the symbol on her necklace. A necklace no one had seen. The same symbol carved into the Ruins.

"Undyne from what I've seen you're a good monster. You're smart. A warrior through and through. A knight. Papyrus' best friend. Frisk's best friend. After seeing those two how could you not believe there's another way? A better way?"

"You…" The word was drawn out. Guilt intermingled with terror in her eyes. Desperation and anger. Her hand shook and the spear burned brighter for a moment. Then it fizzled away. "You nerd." She sighed her head dropping in defeat. But in her voice was something new. Shining among the darker emotions hope sparkled like a long buried jewel. "How stupid can you be? Telling me to kill you." She moved to Alanna carefully stepping around the little drawing. "I think you're worse than the kid."


	44. Tea and How to Spill It

**Okay quick note here. There are spoilers for the Princess Bride in here. If you haven't seen the movie and want to then please watch that first or something. (It's a pretty good one) It's just a quick summary of the plot. Okay. Thank you for reading, thank you for all the support. Reviews really help us and bolster our writing moods so thank you for those.**

 **Back to the story…**

Undyne's hand shot out catching a firm hold on Alanna's wrist.

"Come on." She began a determined march through the fog. Alanna stumbled along behind her trying to keep her footing as Undyne nearly jogged toward Waterfall. Alanna swore she saw a flash of blue through a break in the swirling mist.

"Where are we going?" Alanna felt a bit blindsided by the sudden shift in behavior.

"If we're gonna get to know each other we might as well eat while doing it." She said pulling Alanna along a bit faster.

"What?"

"You hard of hearing or what? Best friends make food together." Undyne suddenly stopped reaching out and scooping Alanna up. "You're way too slow. We have catching up to do!" She broke into a sprint.

"I can walk!" Alanna nearly shrieked. Undyne was ridiculously muscular and carrying Alanna seemed like no burden to her at all.

"You weigh less than my armor." Undyne noted. "We're gonna have to get some good food in you. That way you can build some real strength. Maybe we can add weight lifting to your workouts."

"I'm just trying to get better at fighting!" Alanna protested.

"Fu hu hu. You think strength isn't part of that? You're gonna need to be able to move fast. To get the speed you need you're gonna need to get those muscles in shape."

"Isn't that what we've been doing?"

Undyne only chuckled which sent a horrible chill down Alanna's spine.

It wasn't long before she was standing in Undyne's kitchen. There were scorch marks on the ceiling which were concerning but she seemed to have it under control as she boiled some water for tea. As much as Alanna wanted to ask for the soda she knew that it would better to wait until she got to the surface before she got her caffeine fix. The withdrawal symptoms those first few weeks were awful.

She wandered about looking at the swords and other various things in her house. The piano was interesting, and Alanna went to sit at it quietly plinking out old melodies that she remembered from her lessons all those years ago. Undyne had glanced at her but remained quiet as Alanna moved through songs she knew.

"You're not bad." She said standing off to the side. "Never heard those songs before." She added watching Alanna's hands.

"They're ones I learned on the surface." Alanna said flinching at her own mention of her old home. Undyne reached down and watched Alanna's hands before quickly mimicking the melody. She had it nearly perfect the first time. "Wow." Alanna muttered.

A shrill whistle broke through the melody and Undyne abandoned her playing to grab the teapot. Alanna pushed herself up trying to ignore the giant crack in the table that Undyne was now placing their cups of tea.

"Okay," Undyne said motioning for Alanna to sit down. "Spill."

"Spill what?" Alanna asked taking a small mouthful and immediately regretting the decision as the liquid scalded her tongue.

"Everything." She took a sip of her tea and didn't bat an eyelash at the heat.

"There's not that much to know." Alanna mumbled focusing on the heat leaching into her fingers from the little cup. "I'm another human that fell into the Underground."

"Okay punk listen here." Undyne leaned forward slightly her gaze intensifying. "This whole 'my life is stupid' crap is getting on my nerves. You told Sans the same thing." Alanna blinked at the soft flowery tone that Undyne used to mimic her. "Where were you born?"

"Oh, um I don't really know." Alanna said sheepishly. Undyne frowned slightly at her answer and Alanna sighed. "My parents moved around a whole lot. Even with me as a baby they were always on the move. I never really thought to ask them where exactly I was born, and knowing them they wouldn't remember anyways."

"Guess that means I can't ask about your hometown."

"Yep. Didn't really have one." Alanna answered taking a small sip again. Thankfully the liquid wasn't as bad the second go-around. It was nice. Soothing and floral. "What about you?"

Undyne barked out a laugh. "I grew up here in Waterfall for the most part. Usually following Gearson around. Man did I look up to him." Undyne gave a small awe-struck smile that reminded Alanna very much of MK.

"Gearson." Alanna echoed quietly. "You mean the sweet elderly monster that runs a shop in Waterfall?"

Undyne laughed slamming her hand on the table. The teacups rattled a little at the movement. "Yeah, I guess if you didn't know him before you would just know him as a shopkeep."

"He's not a shopkeep?"

"Oh, he is now. But back during the war he was a hero! The Hammer of Justice!" Undyne thrust her fist up triumphantly. "A champion of the royal guard. He was everything I wanted to be when I grew up. Strong, uncompromising, and fierce."

"Hammer of Justice." Alanna said thinking of the elderly turtle monster. "I can't see it." She added before taking another sip.

"Did you have any heros growing up?"

Alanna instantly felt uncomfortable with the personal interest Undyne was showing toward her. "Um, yeah I guess."

"You guess? If they were your hero you wouldn't guess." Undyne said crossing her muscular arms. Alanna blinked at the sheer mass of them glancing to her own slightly toned arms in comparison. Undyne didn't expect her to get that buff did she?

"Okay yeah. Westley from the Princess Bride."

"Tell me about Westley." Undyne sat back slightly taking a sip of her tea.

Alanna balked glancing down at the steaming amber liquid in her cup. The steam flavored every breath she took with a soft and sweet floral taste. A few tea leaves were settled on the bottom just waiting for her next sip to send them spinning into action.

"Umm...he started out as a farm boy. A farm boy who fell in love with the farm owners' beautiful daughter, Buttercup. When they realized their feelings for each other he set out to the sea to find a better job so that he could pay for them to be wed. But on the high seas his ship was struck by the dread pirate roberts and Westley was killed."

"That's not much of a hero's story!" Undyne looked appalled. "You do know what a hero is don't you?"

"Be patient." Alanna laughed. "Buttercup was distraught. She vowed that she would never love again. The prince of the land, Humperdinck, saw Buttercup's beauty and decided that he would wed her. She had little choice in the matter, but what she didn't know was that the prince was only using her beauty and personality to endear her to his people so that he could have her killed and frame a nearby country so that he could go to war with them." Undyne made a face that hardly hid her disgust. "So he hired three men to kidnap and move the princess to the bordering kingdom before killing her. But they were followed by a strange man dressed in all black."

"Your hero's story is kinda dark, and he's been dead most of it." Undyne pointed out.

"Fine ruin the story then." Alanna sighed before taking a drink. "Turns out that instead of Westley being dead he was taken prisoner by the dread pirate roberts, he was taught how to fight by the pirate crew all the while being threatened by roberts that he would probably kill him the next morning. He learned everything there was to know about fighting and climbing and anything you would need for battle all the while pining after Buttercup knowing that one day he would return to her. The dread pirate Roberts finally took him aside one day and confessed that he was not the dread pirate Roberts. He was trained and took over the name once the previous Roberts was rich. That man too was not Roberts, but trained under the real Roberts who had been living like a king. It didn't matter who Roberts was, you see, but the name that mattered. Westley took over as the new pirate lord and amassed his own fortune. He then went off and saved Buttercup and they eventually lived happily ever after."

"Why is he your hero?" Undyne asked with a slight smile.

"I guess because he was so smart. He could hold his own. He never gave up on himself or on Buttercup. I find it beautiful." Alanna admitted quietly.

"Kinda sappy, but I guess that's a good hero." Undyne downed the rest of her tea. "You like people who don't give up. I can see that." The look Undyne gave Alanna made her skin crawl with how much the teal monster seemed to see her. "How do you feel about finger sandwiches?" She asked cracking her neck and rising to her feet.

"I like them." Alanna answered feeling a bit shy after the strange discussion.

The toothy smile that Undyne gave made her wonder what exactly she was planning. "Let's get to cooking then!"


	45. Chara

Alanna's days began to fall into a very predictable pattern. Every morning she trained throwing herself into the action with mindless abandon. She would have to be so much stronger. Every day she threw herself at Undyne, Papyrus, and Mettaton. She fought and moved and eventually the softer parts of her physique had begun to shift to something much leaner. Muscles appeared where she had never had them before. Her body was almost constant soreness or agony. Gaster worked her at nights giving her no real rest. Dark circles under her eyes were the norm for Alanna now. She lost even more weight but that only meant she moved faster with more precision.

Gaster forced her to work on her offense using improvised weapons and her own magic. Undyne looked startled the first time she truly hit back. It had been instinct moving out of the way and slamming her with one of her own spears. Alanna hardly did damage, but it startled her enough that the next spear tore through her torso. Undyne began trying to teach her how to deal more damage, but Alanna already knew. She avoided Cooper's name. She wasn't sure why it made her sad, but it did. She hoped he was happy. Time passed until Cooper's presence felt distant, as did the town of Ebbot above. She had officially lived in the Underground longer than in Ebbot. The event passed without comment from Alanna. Then even more time passed.

"She's waking up," Frisk had grabbed Alanna as she was heading out of the house fear in their eyes. She paused holding the child's hand in her own and wondered vaguely how she got a few of the new scars on her hand. "I'm scared."

Alanna knelt down next to Frisk putting a hand on either shoulder. Deep within their eyes Alanna could see the curl of red that she knew would eventually become Chara.

"I'm trying my best." She said softly to the child. Frisk nodded sniffling slightly.

"I don't want to die." Frisk's voice was hardly there. A child confessing their fears in the dark.

"I know." The apology in her voice felt more like a threat than the comfort she was trying to provide. "When do you think it'll happen?"

Frisk shivered. "Soon."

Alanna nodded and stood, hating to leave what equated to her little sibling sitting in a shivering heap, but if Chara was waking up she needed as much practice as she could.

The next few days were full of Alanna pushing herself to the limit. Fighting with a single minded drive. She had to save them. She was the only one who could save them. She didn't want to think about the cost.

"So, you're the one that Frisk was telling me about." Their voice was not right. It sent shivers down Alanna's spine and she tensed up even before she turned. She had been practicing alone, focusing on using her powers. She was instantly thankful they had found her alone. From the dust that coated Frisk's body Alanna realized she wasn't the first one that Chara had found. The thought made her angry and she felt her magic respond. "Ohhhh!" The child bounced up on their tip toes red eyes gleaming. "That's neat."

They held a knife loosely at their side. The same knife she had helped Papyrus make spaghetti with the first day. The normal pristine gleam was dulled.

"Chara." Alanna relaxed herself, knowing full well that fighting too tense was bad. Even as she sized up the child her head was reeling with the lessons she had been learning.

"Howdy!" Something in their voice made her sound as if she were mocking someone. Chara took an innocent step forward, but Alanna noticed the subtle way she shifted her grip on the handle. "You know," she drawled taking another step forward, "it's not very nice for you to know my name and I know next to nothing about you. Seems like someone's been telling you about me behind my back."

"You don't need to know my name."

Chara laughed then, and it was a horrible sound. Nothing like the bell toned laughter of Frisk. The mere fact that they were so casually speaking when Frisk normally wouldn't be speaking felt off. This was the true monster of the underground.

"I guess it won't matter in the end."

A slight forward shift was the only warning Alanna had before Chara swept forward with ungodly speed their knife shifting to a familiar red. The world flickered, and Alanna twisted to the side watching the child rocket past, as her soul emerged. The weight of the world fell away and Alanna lifted slightly up hovering over the snow. It was easy to misstep and lose your footing here, which was part of the reason she had been training here so much.

Chara spun on heel from where she had finally stopped sliding. She moved oddly as if the body was being jerked to attention by strings rather than muscle. She was grinning.

"Oh good."

"Why are you doing this?" Alanna asked. Chara grinned even wider.

"Oh you're like Frisk." Chara moved toward her again and the knife flashed that dangerous red, Alanna flew directly up and Chara followed like a homing beacon. Another strike near her feet but Alanna threw herself to the side and then down slamming into the icy ground. She watched and felt the snow she sent flying with the impact.

"Why do you want all the monsters dead?"

Another attack this time faster, the red of the blade buzzing brighter with each swing. Alanna forced herself to remain calm even as she felt slight static pressing in on all sides. She could almost hear Gaster screaming at her to kill Chara. Fix this once and for all.

"It's fun." Chara said as she attacked. "You're fun." They added increasing the pace of their swings. Alanna dodged out of the way only to realize that Chara had backed her into a corner. Her body slammed into a tree and Chara let out a squeal of delight as the blade came crashing down.

Only to be harshly blasted back as Alanna shield burst. They flipped and landed in a heap in the snow. Frisk's health….no not Frisk. The name even said Chara. Chara's health dropped in a small chunk. Alanna felt sick to her stomach. Chara, however, looked delighted.

"Not so like, Frisk." They added as they pushed themselves up. Her head dropped sharply to the side and Alanna watched in horror as their smile broke open into a black and red mess. It was terrifying and Alanna hardly moved in time when Chara shot forward. The one strike from Chara brought the tree down with a slow whine of rent wood.

Alanna realized that talking wasn't going to do much. She took a deep breath in and shifted looking Chara dead in the eyes.

"Fine." She held her hand out to the child and threw her magic out. Alanna felt it as she created a small flicker of a shield in the child's shoulder. She could feel the muscles trying to accommodate for the new addition to the arm. Chara's eyes widened the smallest bit, the gleam in her red eyes only increasing, as Alanna grit her teeth and exploded the shield outward. There was a terrible sound as the child screamed and Alanna watched as their arm went flying away from their body.

Alanna's stomach revolted and she watched as her soul itself seemed to shudder with the violence. There was blood everywhere, and Chara's health dropped to less than half. Just like before, all the other times Gaster had made her practice putting microscopic shields into random things she felt a wave of exhaustion sweep over her.

There was nothing but screaming. Chara lay in the snow bleeding profusely their health ticking down slightly.

"Alanna!" That wasn't Chara's voice. She took a step back seeing as Frisk raised their dark eyes to meet hers. They were screaming. Shaking.

Alanna threw up.

The screaming suddenly shifted and became shrill laughter. "Oh you soft hearted ones are so fun." Chara had left Frisk out just to feel that blow. She knew that it would hurt Alanna. Alanna's body convulsed again without her. "Don't worry. It'll be over soon."

Frisk's body slowly pushed to its feet, blood pooling around them in the snow spreading like the darkest ink. Alanna tried to get up but her body had abandoned her. The horror of her own actions shaking her to her core. She didn't want to fight.

She watched Chara pick up the knife with their remaining hand. Alanna pushed herself up then, standing on shaky feet. There was static she realized, so sharp that it felt like needles piercing her flesh. She wondered just how long Gaster had been trying to get her up. He had resorted to pain, but she hardly felt it. Numb. Hardly there.

" _Fight you idiot."_ Gaster had probably materialized somewhere nearby. She didn't care.

"It's almost a shame." Chara lurched forward and Alanna moved without thinking. Her body easily spun out of the way of the attack. In the distance she heard a throbbing and violent beat. A song that perfectly reflected the violence in those eyes. Their soul wasn't the right color red, Alanna dimly noted. It was a darker red. Not purely determination then.

Chara was back slashing at her, and Alanna threw up her shield watching the child bounce off of it as she moved back and away. With her attack earlier Alanna's magic was hardly responding. It hurt to pull on it. Maybe she shouldn't have trained so hard beforehand. She had started the battle almost on empty. Stupid. She was so stupid. Alanna would have to do something soon or she wouldn't have the stamina to finish the fight. Alanna wished that she had more time to work on her magic skills. Maybe she could fight them to a standstill like that, but not like she is. Her body was better but her magic needed so much work. Frisk's blood had spattered over her entire body at this point. Her hands were speckled with tiny points of red. Like so many bloody galaxies painted onto her skin.

"What I could do with you." Chara hummed. "With that little ability the comedian won't stand a chance." They nearly purred as they kept at it. Alanna was dancing out of the way of each attack, but they kept getting closer to the mark.

" _End this!"_ Gaster was screaming. Alanna threw herself upward and aimed a hand at Chara. She pulled on her magic and placed that spark in their throat. It wouldn't take much, Alanna tried to tell herself, just one last big push and it was over. They would be safe.

The red bled out of their eyes and it was Frisk looking up at them. Their hand going to their throat. Alanna knew that they could feel the spark of her power there. Her resolve faltered and her hand dropped the slightest bit. That's all it took. The red suddenly blazed and Chara rocketed upward. Alanna didn't have time to pull on her magic. There was a horrible slash of pain. Chara grinned in victory, her knife having just ripped its way through Alanna's throat.

"Too bad you won't come back." There was a distant rush of wetness down her body. It was hot, steaming against the cold air. Her soul was shivering. Cracking. Alanna tried to take a breath, but only breathed in her own blood. Drowning now. They laughed and slammed down into her chest. Alanna felt the impact with the ground distantly. Something broke as she crashed into the ice. Blood was everywhere and she could feel the cold of the snow seeping through her clothes. Chara was floating slowly down to her painted red and dusty white. They had the most serene smile. Pain played like a melody in the distance. Alanna's body spasmed without her.

An angel of death.

There was no fighting back. Alanna felt her eyes drifting close. It was so hard to stay awake. "I'm going to save over your death." A soft hand touching her cheek. Trailing down her face to reach into her shirt. Alanna didn't have the energy to bat their hand away. A sharp jerk as Chara held up the necklace Toriel had given her. Chara dangled it between them for a moment recognition lighting up her eyes.

"Goodbye Sister." They grinned. Darkness rose up and swallowed Alanna whole.

No amount of burning in the darkness would help. And after what felt like a long time she let it wash over her, lull her into compliance. She stopped burning, and eventually she stopped entirely.


End file.
